The University of Texas at Austin · College of Education
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The University of Texas at Austin
UT Public Schools AI Council
Council briefing · Foundation

Where UT Austin stands on AI

UT Public Schools sits within The University of Texas at Austin, so the University's stance is our starting point. This briefing pulls UT's own guidance into one place so every Council member starts from the same foundation.

Summarized from UT Austin sources, checked October 21, 2026. See Sources.
AI Forward Access and exploration AI Responsible Literacy and limits +
§ 01

The stance: AI-Forward and AI-Responsible

THE FORWARD SIDE Give people the tools UT provides access to tools and resources that help its community use AI to reach learning outcomes.
THE RESPONSIBLE SIDE Know how it works and where it fails UT stresses AI literacy and awareness of six key limitations of using AI for learning, called the Big 6.
HOW UT DEFINES RESPONSIBLE USE Office of Academic Technology, Provost's Office

Responsible use is AI adoption that “facilitates the achievement of learning outcomes and fosters human development” for everyone in the community.

It also means not using AI in ways that undercut those outcomes. Students and educators stay in the loop and understand how the tools work, their ethical assumptions, and their effects on learning, careers, and society.

UT'S REQUIREMENTS FOR RESPONSIBLE ADOPTION
Vetted Secure Safe Ethical Accessible Open to everyone Transparent Honest
§ 02

Eight principles for teaching and learning

Revisited annually by UT
01LiteracyKnow how AI works, what it's good for, where it falls short, and keep learning as tools change.
02EthicsWeigh AI's effects on education, the environment, labor, and society. Ask when AI can be used versus should be.
03IntentionUse AI openly to support learning, knowing when and why to use it or not, with authentic assessments.
04BalanceBring an innovation mindset while staying aware of changing benefits and drawbacks.
05AgencyKeep people in control of their intellectual work, decisions, and the learning process.
06RelationshipsUse AI to strengthen connections among students, teachers, and staff, never to replace them.
07Academic IntegrityAlign with honesty, respect, and authenticity, and own the output of tools when appropriate.
08StewardshipBe explicit about data sharing, and protect privacy, safety, security, accessibility, and IP.
§ 03

The Big 6 limitations

Being AI-Forward means knowing these limits and acting to reduce them. UT names six.

1. Privacy and security
Use trusted vendors with chat history or training off. No confidential or controlled data without a UT contract.
2. Hallucinations and deception
AI can state falsehoods confidently and agree with users even when they're wrong. Verify with traditional research.
3. Misalignment
You ask for one thing and get another. Careful prompting helps, but people must always evaluate the output.
4. Bias
Models reproduce human bias and stereotypes. Stay skeptical, avoid over-reliance, and report biased output.
5. Ethics
Intellectual property, misinformation, labor, environmental impact, and the business ethics of AI.
6. Cognitive offloading
Overuse can weaken thinking skills. Critique and transform AI output to make it your own.
§ 04

UT.AI and Enterprise Technology

AI is a strategic priority at UT Austin. UT.AI, the campus-wide initiative led by Enterprise Technology, sets shared vision, principles, and governance across teaching and learning, research, and operations.

Safe and SecureProtect University data from misuse and protect people from harm.
Protected and CompliantFollow federal and state law and UT policy on sensitive, personal, and copyrighted data.
Fair and TransparentFairness, alignment with the mission, and openness about AI use.
Responsible and AccountableKnow AI's limits and review output for bias, accuracy, and policy compliance.
§ 05

The data rules

ISO policy, revised July 9, 2026
Allowed freely Published data Public or Published University information can be used with any AI tool.
Approved tools only Controlled or Confidential Only UT-managed tools under contracts that keep data out of training or isolated, with web search turned off. Check the Decision Matrix.
Prohibited Unauthorized tools Free or personal AI tools for protected data, FERPA records in unapproved tools, and AI detection software.
HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY A person makes every consequential call
Texas law bars state agencies, including UT Austin, from using AI that makes or controls consequential decisions without meaningful human review. UT's CISO must review AI tools meant for these uses first.
Grading Student conduct Academic integrity Admissions and dismissal Evaluating academic work Curriculum design Instructional and testing materials Personnel decisions Mental health advice
§ 06

From UT's stance to our guides

The UT Public Schools drafts build on UT's guidance rather than starting fresh. Here's where each UT idea shows up in our own practice.

UT idea Where it shows up in our guides
Intention→Clear expectations for when AI may and may not be used
Academic Integrity→Being open about AI use on graded work, plus recommendations for handling misuse
Agency and Heightened Scrutiny→Humans in the loop: AI never decides a grade, integrity case, or discipline alone
Stewardship and data rules→Student data privacy, FERPA, and vetting tools before they're used
Big 6: hallucinations, bias→Checking AI output for bias and accuracy before it reaches students
Big 6: cognitive offloading→Protecting the productive struggle that real learning needs
Relationships→Digital citizenship, kindness, and care with anyone's likeness or voice
FOR DISCUSSION AT MEETING 1 1. Which UT principle matters most for your district's students? 2. Where does UT's university-level guidance need a K-12 lens? 3. What would your staff ask first about the data rules?
A NOTE ON SCOPE Several UT pages are written for university students and employees. Where a K-12 setting could change the answer, the Council confirms how it applies before the guides rely on it. UT also takes comments on its teaching and learning principles and revisits them each year.
§ 07

Sources

Checked Oct 21, 2026
  1. Office of Academic Technology. Responsible Adoption of AI Tools for Teaching and Learning.
  2. Office of Academic Technology. Addressing the Limitations of Using Generative AI for Learning (the Big 6).
  3. Enterprise Technology. Guidance for Using Artificial Intelligence.
  4. Information Security Office. Acceptable Use of Generative AI Tools (rev. July 9, 2026).
  5. Enterprise Technology. UT.AI Initiative.