Generative AI Tools | AI Competency Centre
Generative AI Tools
University-Provided AI Platforms
These tools have gone through the Third Party Security Assessment (TPSA) process and include enterprise agreements for robust data protection. Use these for moderate and high-risk University data.
For information on how to get started with University-provided generative AI tools, please refer to our GenAI Tool Guides.
Quick Tool Selection Guide
The following comparison helps you choose the right tool based on your task and data requirements:
| Platform | Primary Use Case | TPSA Rating | Access Method | Cost to User |
| ChatGPT Edu | Advanced content generation, summarisation, and complex reasoning | Confidential | University SSO | Free for all Oxford staff and students (including College staff) |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | AI assistance integrated with Microsoft 365 apps, files, and emails | Confidential | University SSO | £26 per user per month |
| Microsoft Copilot Chat | Web-grounded chat, summarisation, drafting, and web-based information retrieval | Confidential | University SSO | Free |
| Google Gemini | AI assistance integrated with Google Workspace and as a standalone chat | Internal | University SSO | Free through the University Google Workspace |
| NotebookLM | AI-powered research and note synthesis tool for summarising, connecting, and querying multiple documents | Internal | University SSO | Free through the University Google Workspace |
| Nebula One Platform | Access to a range of different AI models with deployable AI chatbots | Coming Soon | University SSO | Coming soon for free |
For all licences provided through the University, users can be assured that any messages or prompts are private and cannot be accessed by administrators in the AI Competency Centre.
Oxford embraces AI as a powerful tool for research, teaching, and administration while maintaining strict security standards. You can access leading AI platforms, but success depends on understanding your role in using them safely and effectively.
Your Key Responsibilities
You are responsible for:
- Following University policies - All existing rules on academic integrity, data protection, and conduct apply to AI use
- Verifying AI output - AI can produce inaccurate, biased, or completely false information ("hallucinations"). Always fact-check before using AI-generated content
- Taking accountability - You own responsibility for any work that incorporates AI-generated material, including ensuring accuracy and proper citation
Understanding Data Protection in AI
Your Data is Protected Under Enterprise Agreements
When you use Oxford's enterprise AI tools, your data is automatically excluded from training. This means your work will not be used to train OpenAI's models. Your information is stored securely on company servers with the same protections as other University services like SharePoint and Outlook.
Training vs. Storage: What's the Difference?
Training on data refers to the use of Machine Learning techniques (such as Neural Networks) to train or improve AI models.learn In consumer versions of AI tools, users are required to carefully monitor a company's policy and opt out of having their data used for training where this option is available.. However, any use of AI tools under Oxford's enterprise agreement is automatically opted out of training. In fact, it is impossible to turn this option on (where available).
Storing data works exactly like other university digital services. Enterprise versions include additional security protections and legal agreements to ensure compliance with data protection laws.
Oxford-supported enterprise AI tools have been gone through the through Third Party Security Assessment (TPSA) and received the Confidential rating. Please refer to the University guide on Data classification for details.
Oxford's Approved AI Tools
The University currently offers three enterprise-grade AI tools that are safe for confidential information:
Microsoft Copilot
- Access: Sign in with your Oxford email address through the normal Microsoft workspace
- Verification: Look for the green shield symbol at the top of your screen
- Availability: Free chatbot access for all staff and students
- Enhanced features: Available with Microsoft Copilot 365 licence for full app integration
ChatGPT Edu
- Access: Must sign in specifically to ChatGPT Edu (not the consumer versions - Free, Plus, Teams, or Pro)
- Verification: Look for the blue Oxford logo next to your name in settings
- Availability: Free to all members of the University through SSO
- Important: Signing into ChatGPT with a department or college email address is not the same as signing in with your SSO
Google Gemini and NotebookLM
- Access: Sign in to Google using your SSO credentials (abcd1234@ox.ac.uk)
- Verification: Check that @ox.ac.uk appears in your account settings
- Availability: Free version available to all; Pro features available to pilot programme participants
Quick Reference Guide
| Tool | Sign-In Method | Verification | Current Status |
| Microsoft Copilot | Oxford email address | Green shield symbol | Chatbot: all users Full integration: purchase required |
| ChatGPT Edu | Oxford SSO | Blue Oxford logo | Free for all Oxford staff and students |
| Google Gemini | Oxford SSO | @ox.ac.uk in settings ”Gemini for Oxford University” on screen in new chat |
Free version: all users Pro: pilot participants only |
Oxford AI Tools: Complete Platform & Access Guides
This guide details each AI platform available at Oxford, helping you choose the right tool for your specific needs, as well as how to access each of these.
ChatGPT Edu
ChatGPT Edu is Oxford's enterprise version of OpenAI's leading AI model, designed for sophisticated reasoning, content creation, and analysis.
For information on how to get started with ChatGPT Edu, please refer to our ChatGPT Edu Onboarding Guide.
What ChatGPT Edu Does Best
- Advanced reasoning and analysis - Handles complex problem-solving tasks
- Document drafting and editing - Creates professional content from scratch
- Code writing and debugging - Supports multiple programming languages
- Live web browsing - Incorporates current information into responses
- Text summarisation - Processes lengthy, complex documents
You can review what features are available within the University workspace on our GenAI Tool Features webpage.
Access Options
- As part of its ongoing digital transformation, the University is partnering with OpenAI to provide free access to ChatGPT Edu for all students and staff (including College staff), from the start of the new academic year (2025/26).
How to Access Safely
- Log in at https://chatgpt.com/ using your University SSO
- Verify protection - Look for "Oxford University" branding in the interface
- Warning: If you don't see Oxford branding, you're in the public version - do not enter any University or otherwise confidential data
- Note: ChatGPT does not log you out automatically between each session. If you are using a public or shared device, you should log out after each use.
Why you should use ChatGPT Edu
- Saving money. ChatGPT Edu accounts are being made available free at point of use, across the University and Colleges, as part of an inclusive offer
- Better security. You can access ChatGPT Edu via your SSO, which gives you more security and convenience than either the Plus or Teams licence.
- Share your GPTs and chats privately with others in the Oxford workspace or with the whole Oxford workspace all at once.
- Enhanced data protection: Unlike the free and Plus versions (where you have to manually opt out of allowing your data to be used to train OpenAI’s data models), data you input into ChatGPT Edu is not shared to train OpenAI's models by default. This means you maintain full ownership of all your inputs and outputs, which is important when working with research data or sensitive university information.
- Security assessment. Of all OpenAI generative AI tool offerings, only ChatGPT Edu is covered by InfoSec’s third-party security assessment (TPSA). This is the same security assessment that covers all use of Microsoft 365 across the University. If you feel secure uploading files to Sharepoint, you should feel at ease uploading your files to ChatGPT Edu.
Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot (Chat)
Microsoft 365 Copilot: Microsoft 365 Copilot integrates directly into your M365 applications, using your organizational data to boost productivity.
For information on how to get started with a Microsoft 365 Copilot account, please refer to our Microsoft 365 Copilot Onboarding Guide.
Microsoft Copilot (Chat): Microsoft Copilot (Chat) is a free limited AI tool offered by Microsoft. Unlike Microsoft 365 Copilot (paid), Microsoft Copilot (Chat) cannot integrate into your M365 applications and has a limited functionality. In order to access use Copilot across the Microsoft Suite, you will firstly need to purchase a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence.
What Microsoft 365 Copilot Does Best
- Email management - Summarises lengthy email threads
- Document creation - Drafts documents using your meeting notes
- Presentation building - Generates PowerPoint slides from Word documents
- Data analysis - Analyses Excel spreadsheets and creates insights
- Meeting summaries - Provides automatic Teams meeting recaps
- Work data integration - "Chats with your work data" across all M365 apps
Critical User Responsibility: Permissions Management
Important: Copilot can only access data you already have permission to see, but it can inadvertently facilitate oversharing. A request to "summarise all Project X documents" might pull from sensitive SharePoint sites you can access but shouldn't share widely. Maintain good "permissions hygiene."
Access Tiers
- Default Protected Version - Available to all M365 users; cannot access work emails, chats, or documents
- Full Enterprise Version - Complete integration with work data; identified by a green shield icon at the top of the chat
Purchasing Microsoft 365 Copilot
Purchase request forms for Microsoft 365 Copilot licences are now open, enabling new purchases for the September 2025 – August 2026 licensing period. Licence cost £23.50 (+VAT for Colleges) and you will be charged a one-off payment for your pro rata usage of Microsoft 365 Copilot. For example, if you purchase in October 2025, you will be charged for 11 months of £23.50.
Department Microsoft 365 Copilot Licence Request Form
College Microsoft 365 Copilot Licence Request Form
Licences cannot be refunded however, they can be reassigned within your department at any point following purchase should a member of staff leave the university or change departments, by contacting the AI and Machine Learning Competency Centre.
Licence holders will be given support to start using Copilot, including access to training sessions, online resources, and support from Microsoft and the AI Competency Centre.
If you have requested a licence, you will be notified once you and/or your team have access to a licence. Please be patient and allow up to 7 working days for your licence to be approved and appear.
How to Access Safely
- Log in to https://m365copilot.com/ through your University Microsoft 365 account
- Verify full protection - Look for the green shield icon with "Protected" text
- No shield = limited protection - Without the shield, you're not using the full enterprise version
Google Gemini
Google Gemini provides AI assistance both as a standalone tool and integrated within Google Workspace applications.
For information on how to get started with Google Gemini, please refer to our Google Gemini Onboarding Guide.
What Gemini Does Best
- Educational content creation - Lesson plans, curriculum development
- Grant proposal drafting - Academic and research funding applications
- Document and email summarisation - Processes Google Workspace content
- Research acceleration - Integrates with NotebookLM for knowledge sharing
- Administrative tasks - Streamlines routine educational workflows
Critical Account Risk
High risk of user error: Many users are logged into both personal Gmail and University Google accounts simultaneously. Using Gemini through a personal account provides no protection and must not be used for university data.
Access Options
- Google Workspace (Secure) - Protected version through university accounts (signed in with SSO); safe for confidential data
- Gemini Pro via Personal Account (Not Secure) - Available through personal Google accounts but not protected by enterprise agreements
How to Access Safely
- Sign in to https://gemini.google.com/app using your SSO email (abcd1234@ox.acuk).
- Check account profile - Accounts in the official Oxford workspace should say ‘Managed by ox.ac.uk’ under your email
- Warning: If prompted to sign up with personal Gmail, you're not in the protected environment
Free vs Pro features
Free (available to all via Oxford workspace)
- Models - 2.5 Flash and limited 2.5 Pro
- Deep research with 2.5 Flash
- Image generation with Imagen
- 15GB of storage in Drive
- Stricter usage limitations
Pro (only available to Gemini pilot participants)
- Everything in free plus:
- Models - 2.5 Flash and more access to 2.5 Pro
- Deep research with 2.5 Pro
- Gemini integration into Google apps (Docs, Sheets, Slides etc.)
- Video generation with Veo 3
- 2TB of storage in Drive
NotebookLM
NotebookLM is an AI-powered research and note-taking assistant developed by Google. It is designed to help academics, researchers, and students organise and analyse large bodies of knowledge.
For information on how to get started with NotebookLM, please refer to our NotebookLM Onboarding Guide.
What NotebookLM Does Best
- Source-grounded summarisation - Generates summaries directly from uploaded PDFs, text, videos, or websites
- Knowledge synthesis - Builds structured overviews from multiple source documents
- Context-aware Q&A - Answers questions strictly based on your uploaded material
- Collaboration - Allows shared projects with colleagues across the Oxford Google Workspace
- Citations - Provides inline source references for all generated content
Critical Account Risk
High risk of user error: Many users are logged into both personal Gmail and University Google accounts simultaneously. Using NotebookLM through a personal account provides no protection and must not be used for university data.
Access Options
- Google Workspace (Secure) - Protected version through university accounts (signed in with SSO); safe for confidential data
- Gemini Pro via Personal Account (Not Secure) - Available through personal Google accounts but not protected by enterprise agreements
How to Access Safely
- Sign in to https://notebooklm.google/ using your SSO email (abcd1234@ox.acuk).
- Check account profile - Accounts in the official Oxford workspace should say ‘Managed by ox.ac.uk’ under your email
- Warning: If prompted to sign up with personal Gmail, you're not in the protected environment
Free vs Pro features
Free (available to all via Oxford workspace)
- Upload up to 50 sources per notebook
- 15GB total storage through Drive
- Summarisation and citation tools powered by Gemini 2.5 Flash
- Integrated chat interface for Q&A across all sources
Pro (only available to Gemini pilot participants)
- Upload up to 300 sources per notebook
- 2TB total storage through Drive
- Deep synthesis powered by Gemini 2.5 Pro
- Advanced cross-source reasoning and draft generation
Nebula One Platform
Nebula One is Oxford's self-hosted platform providing secure access to multiple AI models through a single interface.
What Nebula One Offers
- Multiple AI models - Access various AI providers through one secure interface
- Custom chatbot creation - Build and share specialised tools within Oxford
- Experimentation environment - Safe space to test different AI capabilities
- Internal collaboration - Share AI innovations across the University
How to Access
Access through dedicated URL using University SSO credentials.
Important caveat: Some models (like Anthropic) may not yet have full enterprise agreements. Check current status before using with highly sensitive data.
Developer and Research Tools
What it does: Real-time code suggestions and completions directly in your code editor.
Access: Standard Pro tier available to all Oxford community members.
Security considerations:
- Not covered by Oxford's central enterprise agreements
- Mixed data policies - Business/Enterprise tiers don't use code for training; Pro tier policies may differ
- User responsibility - Must manually opt out of code training in account settings
Recommendation: Excellent for development but exercise caution with highly sensitive intellectual property or code under restrictive licenses.
What it does: Direct integration of OpenAI models into custom applications and research tools.
Access: University maintains credit pool; request access through AI and ML Competency Centre.
Security features:
- No training by default - API data not used to improve OpenAI models
- 30-day retention - Data held briefly for abuse monitoring, then deleted
- Zero Data Retention (ZDR) - Available for highly sensitive research; enables HIPAA compliance
Recommendation: Secure platform for custom AI solutions, but developers must ensure their applications implement proper security measures.
Learn more about how to access OpenAI API credits via our API Access page.
Third-party tools
These popular tools can be valuable but require careful consideration of data privacy risks. Please refer to Information Security guidelines when using third-party GenAI tools.
Elicit - AI research assistant for literature reviews
- Privacy: Uploaded papers remain private to individual users
- Use case: Literature research with non-sensitive academic content
Perplexity - AI search engine with source citations
- Privacy risk: Uses search data to improve models (opt-out available)
- Use case: General research questions using public information only
Consensus - Scientific research-focused search engine
- Use case: Evidence-based research queries
Claude (Free/Pro) - Anthropic's conversational AI
- Privacy: Claims not to train on user data, but some staff may review content
- Use case: Content creation with public information only
Gamma - AI presentation creator
HeyGen - AI video generation with avatars
Meeting participants must not use unapproved bots in meetings. Microsoft Teams has inbuilt transcription features that are can be switched on if you have permission to record the meetings.
Eleven Labs - AI voice synthesis
Whisper-based apps - Audio transcription tools
Midjourney - AI image generation from text prompts