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AI for efficiency

Generative AI tools can be used to support a wide range of administrative tasks – often helping to complete tasks more efficiently, providing a guide to the user, and allowing them to use this base to develop and enhance results (and to get there more quickly).

Most commonly, generative AI is used to support foundational tasks, with the user reviewing and developing the results to support their overarching activities, using the AI as a ‘copilot’ – an approach that is often referred to as ‘human in the loop’, or ‘human at the helm’ (also vital in assuring the accuracy and validity of materials, given generative AI’s limitations). 

Potential use cases

Content creation

  • Drafting meeting minutes, action summaries, or routine reports
  • Generating first drafts of newsletters, event descriptions, or promotional materials
  • Translating internal communications or support materials
  • Translating content for international audiences quickly and accurately
  • Event promotion: drafting event descriptions, speaker bios, and follow-up communications to help to promote events
  • Drafting policies, processes, terms of reference, training materials, and knowledge articles – for full review and development
  • Support in paper and presentation development.

Summaries

  • Producing executive summaries for committee reports and papers
  • Analysing internal guidance and reports, save where such reports contain sensitive personal information, eg medical or financial information
  • Financial reports
  • Policy and process explanations.

Data analysis

  • Data cleansing
  • Drawing together data analysis and email-ready insights
  • Generation of supporting charts, pivot tables etc
  • Identifying patterns or anomalies.

Further use cases

There are a range of University case studies available to help further illustrate the uses of AI. These include the benefits achieved, and the related tooling that has been used: 

Unacceptable uses

  • Uploading confidential Human Resources, finance, or student records to public GenAI platforms
  • Using AI to make final decisions on hiring, promotions, or disciplinary actions without human review
  • Publishing AI-generated content externally without review and attribution
  • Using AI to generate or propagate misinformation, bias, or inappropriate content
  • Using AI and to inform decision making processes about staff, students or other individuals without human oversight and without first completing a Data Protection Impact Assessment (staff only).