What is McMaster’s Policy on AI?

The creation of policy to govern a single technology is problematic when the technology is new and rapidly evolving, with poorly understood use cases. All of McMaster’s existing policies apply to the use of any technology, including Artificial Intelligence. All members of the university community (e.g. students, employees, faculty, researchers, or other members) when choosing to use AI must ensure their compliance with the laws of Ontario and McMaster’s policies, including the Privacy Management Policy and Information Security Policy. Rather than rush to create a single-technology policy, McMaster University will continue to rely on existing policies to govern our community.

In contemplating the use of artificial intelligence tools, community members should reflect on the Guidelines on the Use of Generative AI in Operational Excellence, in Teaching and Learning and in Research. For more information for use of AI in the classroom, please review the recommendations from the MacPherson Institute.

Principles of Using AI at McMaster University:

Using AI responsibly, safely, and ethically. Before considering specific roles and example use-cases, the privacy office recommends several ethical principles that can help guide our community’s engagement with AI technology:

1. Legal Authority: The use of AI tools by staff and faculty must be lawful and may include the need to collect consent.
2. Appropriate Purposes: As members of an institute of higher learning and advanced research, McMaster community members should ensure that their use of AI technology supports the mandates of the institute.
3. Transparency: The algorithms, data, and design decisions underlying AI systems and the applications of AI systems, should be transparent, including the potential risks to individuals’ privacy.
4. Accountability: Individuals and teams using AI technology bear the responsibility for the consequences of the AI’s actions and decisions.
5. Integrity: The use of AI at McMaster must facilitate individuals’ agency over their personal information, and limit the collection, use and disclosure of personal information to what is needed to fulfill the purpose for use of the AI technology.
6. Safeguards: Where necessary, risk assessments must be conducted to identify risks to personal information, as well as to provide oversight for the implementation of recommendations to eliminate or mitigate those risks. Mitigations may include administrative, physical and technological safeguards.
7. Inclusion: Accessibility and fairness in AI technology should be actively considered, ensuring they don’t perpetuate existing biases.

These principles align with the Principles for Responsible, Trustworthy and Privacy-Protective Generative AI Technologies set out by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

See also: OPS Responsible Use of AI Directive, Ontario’s Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI) Framework 

The Information and Privacy Commissioner’s Office joint statement with the Ontario Human Right’s Commissioner’s Office on the Principles for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence.

Algorithmic Impact Assessment

With the ongoing and rapid development of publicly accessible AI technology (including GenAI), McMaster University continually monitors the technological landscape to update relevant guidelines and protocols to support ethical and lawful use of AI technology.

For any tools that include automated functions, including artificial intelligence, the university must conduct an Algorithmic Impact Assessment (AIA). An AIA is a risk assessment process that determines the impact level of an automated decision-making system on the risks of harm to individuals.

The privacy office is responsible for conducting the AIA process. To begin the process, complete the Early Privacy Risk Check form. To learn more about how the AIA is part of McMaster’s privacy risk assessment framework, find more details on the PIA website.

McMaster AI Inventory

The AI Inventory is a catalogue of use and use cases of AI technology at McMaster University. This catalogue will provide the following:

• purpose for the AI’s creation
• geographic reach of the AI’s use
• potential impacts to Ontarians by using the AI
• internal use policies governing use of the AI
• technical description of how the AI works