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The New School has developed guidance for Generative AI that applies to all administrative staff. The Marketing and Communication (M&C) artificial intelligence guidelines below are intended to supplement that guidance for marketing and communications purposes.
Artificial intelligence(AI) refers to software or machines that exhibit abilities usually associated with human intelligence, such as understanding natural language, recognizing patterns, making decisions, and solving complex problems. The following guiding principles can serve as a compass for navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of AI technology as it applies to marketing and communications.
Responsible AI Usage
AI technologies can be used to streamline processes, activities, and tasks. At the same time, they introduce security risks for staff members and the university itself. We must be mindful in offering data to AI platforms and do our part to protect the work of scholars and artists connected to The New School and the larger Internet community. And since results generated by AI are built upon work, data, and information produced by humans, we must understand the origins of the data. Marketing and Communication values freedom of expression while striving to protect privacy and provide responsible work attribution. Although M&C encourages approved usage of AI, it should never replace our human-centered approach. AI tools cannot simulate human reasoning, especially concerning moral and ethical matters. We advocate for responsible AI usage through critical self-governance and accountability.
AI & Sustainability
As a university with sustainability at the core of what we do, we recognize the impact our usage of technology has on the planet.
AI is one of the most powerful technologies ever created, but that computational power involves a tremendous environmental impact. Using an LLM to generate a 100-word email, for example, uses the equivalent of one bottle of water—not to mention the staggering amount of electricity used to train and operate the model. As we face the realities of the climate crisis, it is clear that our AI usage is connected to our individual carbon footprints. However, embracing the use of new technologies is also of major importance to The New School. To encourage responsible, sustainable usage of AI, our committee recommends the following practices:
Educate yourself on the environmental impacts of AI, starting with the materials below.
Use AI intentionally by developing your own writing skills and limiting your use of AI to situations where it is truly needed.
When working in groups, designate one team member to use AI; there is no need for multiple team members to access it.
Use research tools available through the university library, which may provide more broad-ranging and comprehensive results than those produced by AI tools.
Check this page periodically for updates on AI use, sustainability, and best practices.
Developing & Implementing These Guidelines
The M&C Guidelines on AI usage have been researched, designed, and written for use by those who do the work of our department. This includes department members, administrators, staff, educators, and vendors responsible for creating marketing and communication materials that align with the university's brand identity. A department-wide committee created the guidelines to define responsible AI usage by Marketing and Communication at The New School.
If you plan to use AI technologies for marketing or communication purposes or require a consultation, please contact Kyle Hansen at [email protected].
Like other departments of The New School, M&C adheres to the guidelines for responsible AI usage established by the university's IT department. For more information about approved AI tools, steps for preserving privacy (including the use of AI in relation to FERPA regulations), and responsible practices, review the guidelines in Guru, the university knowledge base.
Reminders as You Use AI Tools
Ensure that people review AI output. People must evaluate, fact-check, edit, and document all AI-generated content before using it in their professional work. Users must protect the values of our brand by employing judgment and reason and providing context.
Be transparent about AI usage internally. M&C encourages the responsible use of AI tools, including transparency about how the tools are being used. Use citations when the AI tool requires them, and ensure they are complete and formatted correctly.
Respect people's privacy. Before AI technology is used to summarize and record meetings and other proceedings, consent must be obtained from all participants. Transcripts and summaries produced by AI should be evaluated and reviewed by the individual responsible for enabling the AI agent.
Monitor output for bias. Biased prompts can generate biased responses, just as biased data set training can create a biased AI agent. AI tools sometimes generate biased results, especially when using data based on widespread assumptions and norms. All users must monitor for and eliminate bias in prompts and results.
Adhere to university policies. AI tools should never be used in any way that would violate university standards or policies. Two policies that must be reviewed are the Acceptable Use Policy and the Standard for Information and System Classification.
Usage Scenarios
The following scenarios illustrate appropriate and inappropriate usage of AI in each content creation area.
- Image & Video Generation
  
  Useful Links
  Digital Asset Library (DAL)
  Scenario One: Marketing Video
  The objective is to create a marketing video for the College of Performing Arts featuring a class of student musicians rehearsing for an upcoming performance at Lincoln Center. After the class has been filmed, several students decide they don’t want to be featured in the video. Additionally, the vendor has not had sufficient time or budget within the schedule to film B-roll footage of Lincoln Center and New York City.
  Approved Usage
  The vendor uses AI editing technology to seamlessly remove the students who do not want to be featured in the video.
  The vendor uses AI-generated video footage as B-roll footage of Lincoln Center and New York City. This footage was created on a commercially safe platform trained on royalty-free data sourced from the vendor’s stock sites, such as Adobe or Getty.
  Unapproved Usage
  The vendor uses an AI tool that is not commercially safe, such as Midjourney, to create deepfake students to replace those who opted out.
  The vendor employs AI technology, such as Magenta Studio, to generate a musical score inspired by the students' rehearsal program. This tool is open-source and not suitable for commercial use.
  Scenario Two: Social Media
  A staff member is asked to create a series of photographs, videos, and captions to be posted on an official New School social account. They need to make videos and photos to present and schedule for posting.
  Approved Usage
  The staff member uses AI editing technology to color-correct and make minor edits to the photos and videos.
  The staff member uses AI editing technology to remove students who do not want to be featured in the photos or videos.
  The staff member uses AI tools that generate ideas and versions of the captions and reviews the copy carefully to ensure that it aligns with New School tone and branding standards.
  The staff member shares artwork or experimental pieces created with AI by students or faculty with the appropriate AI tagging by platform.
  Unapproved Usage
  The staff member uses generated visuals (photo or video) and publishes them as final designs.
  The staff member uses generated images of people, faces, or mascots; passes them off as real individuals or creations in real-life situations or poses; and publishes them as final images (for example, a image of Gnarls swimming in the ocean with New School students).
- Text Generation
  
  Useful Links
  New School Editorial Style Guide
  Scenario: Summarizing Long-Form Text
  Staff members are asked to create a summary of a media story, blog post, or press release produced by an outside organization that features a New School faculty member, research project, or event. The summary may be used in a newsletter, online blog, or social media post that directs readers to the original story.
  Approved Usage
  Generated overviews of the material are used to assist with writing the summary.
  An AI tool is used for initial editing or review of the summary before sending it to other staff members for a final review.
  Unapproved Usage
  Generated messaging is presented as final copy and published without review or editing.
  Generated draft copy summaries are used and shared with stakeholders without checking or editing.
  Generated copy summaries are presented as the final versions.
- Data Insights
  
  Scenario One: Audience Predictions
  A marketing platform provides automated audience or attendance insights that draw on previous campaigns and events to generate predictions and recommendations for improving campaign performance with a given audience.
  Approved Usage
  A banner for Splash’s Attendance Insights predicting event outcomes appears in an event overview if the information is available for the event. Staff members click through to view predicted attendance and tips for promoting engagement.
  Staff members check in at major or all events and then analyze attendance data through Splash’s Reporting tab for insights. (Contact University Initiatives Marketing for more information.)
  For digital campaigns, staff members use software that provides recommendations for campaign fields (subject, text content, time of day, etc.) based on the success or failure of previous campaigns.
  
  Unapproved Usage
  Staff members upload check-in data or sensitive contact and personal information (phone, home address, salary, Social Security number, etc.) to AI-powered platforms to predict future event attendance.

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