Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)

All generative AI solutions, including Copilot and ChatGPT, are governed by UMass Lowell's Generative AI policy. For more information about this policy and how it relates to Copilot, refer to the Generative AI and UMass Lowell section on this page.

For information for faculty using AI in the classroom, please refer to the Teaching and Learning section on this page.

What's the difference between Copilot Chat and ChatGPT?

Feature	Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat	ChatGPT
Integration	Standalone web or app-based interface	Standalone web or app-based interface
Data Access	No access to personal or organizational data by default	No access to personal or organizational data by default
Primary Use Case	Workplace productivity and document automation	General-purpose AI for coding, writing, and research
Collaboration	Share custom agents with any active UML member	Share custom GPTs with only UML faculty and staff
Licensing	Included for active faculty, staff and students	Additional cost per user; executive cabinet approval

What is Copilot Chat?

Powered by OpenAI's Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT)-5, Copilot Chat is a generative AI tool designed to assist with the majority of everyday use cases. From drafting documents and summarizing emails, to analyzing data and generating presentations, Copilot Chat is designed to meet the needs of most users out of the box, making additional tools or solutions unnecessary in the majority of cases.

Accessing Copilot Chat

There are several ways to access Copilot whether on a UMass Lowell or personal device.

1. On university-owned Windows devices, download from the UMass Lowell Company Portal.
2. Download Microsoft 365 Copilot from the Microsoft Store. At this time, there is no app for macOS.
3. Access Microsoft 365 Copilot via the web by navigating to the Microsoft Office website.

Generative AI and UMass Lowell

ANCHOR-Copilot-usagePer UMass Lowell’s generative AI policy, members of the university are only permitted to enter university-related information into AI platforms that have an official agreement with the UMass Lowell (UML). Copilot is one of these approved tools.

To ensure compliance and protect university data:

• You MUST sign in to Copilot using your UML credentials before using it for university business.
• Failure to sign in may result in confidential UML data being exposed to external systems and potentially used to train the underlying AI models.
• Failure to sign in with your UML credentials while using Copilot for university-related data may result in loss of access to the tool. Signing in ensures that your usage complies with university data protection policies and prevents confidential information from being exposed to external systems. 

How To Use the Copilot app

Copilot functions similarly to ChatGPT, so if you have used offerings from OpenAI, Copilot will look very familiar!

For those looking for extra help, you can access basic instructions with the: Using the Microsoft 365 Copilot app (Windows) video.

Microsoft has also provided a Copilot learning hub.

Copilot? Copilot Chat? Why are there so many different names for the Microsoft offering? What's the difference?

Most of the differences come down to licensing. UMass Lowell currently has the Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat license. This license provides access to the standalone Microsoft 365 Copilot app, but it does not include integration with Microsoft productivity apps (such as using Copilot directly within Word, Excel, and more).

Note: Although the app name does not include the word “Chat”, the Microsoft 365 Copilot app is the correct one to use under this license.

If you have any questions about licensing, please contact Tech Services directly.

OpenAI UMass Lowell License

Faculty and staff have the opportunity to request access to ChatGPT. Approval is handled by the executive cabinet and is not guaranteed. To request access, please use the ChatGPT Enterprise License Request form.

ChatGPT API access can also be requested. To do so, fill out the OpenAI API Access Request form. You must already have a UML ChatGPT license to request access to the API.

For more information regarding ChatGPT, please see this ChatGPT knowledge article.

⁠Faculty are encouraged to utilize generative AI solutions in the classroom. We highly recommend exploring the Teach tab in the left menu of Copilot Chat for assistance with lesson plans, homework assignments and study aids!

In addition, Copilot Chat agents can be shared with students. From the left menu, click "All Agents." Hover over the agent you want to share. Click the three dots, then click "Share."

For more information about using Copilot for education, please refer to this official Microsoft blog post.

App Limitations

Unfortunately, there are some limitations when faculty use generative AI with students, outlined below.

ChatGPT

1. Custom GPTs cannot be shared with students. Students are not covered by our license with OpenAI.
2. Custom GPTs cannot be moved or transferred to Copilot chat. You would need to rebuild in Copilot Chat.
3. If students use their own accounts with ChatGPT, any data entered there will be used to train OpenAI's models, potentially leaking proprietary data. 

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat

1. Custom agents can be shared with students, but can only be shared internally.
2. Currently, custom agents can only read open websites for data sources (no password-protected logins). You cannot upload documents for data sources as in ChatGPT.
3. Custom agents cannot be transferred to ChatGPT.
4. Our license does not cover real-time collaboration in documents, but it does allow analysis of Word, Excel and Powerpoint files.