This page gives UCSB researchers guidance on using AI tools productively, safely, and compliantly, plus resources and contacts.

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General Guidelines for the Use of AI in Research

The following is adapted from the UC Presidential Working Group on AI’s eight UC Responsible AI Principals to guide UC’s approach to the use of generative AI. UCSB’s Guidelines for AI Use, from the ITC Subcommittee on AI, use the same principles for research, teaching, and administrative work on campus. The guidance below shows how they apply to your research.

Appropriateness

Decide if AI fits the task:

  • Assess the suitability of AI tools for specific research tasks. Use UCSB-approved tools signed in with your UCSB account.
  • Identify if your publishers or funding agency restricts or prohibits generative AI for some tasks. See Funding Agency AI Requirements and Common Questions below.

Accuracy, Reliability, and Safety

Verify AI output and protect your data:

  • Verify AI output to ensure the integrity of your data. This may include cross-validation with other data sources, statistical testing, and replicating results using different methods or datasets.
  • Test the model under different scenarios to understand how input changes affect outputs.
  • Never upload confidential, proprietary, or export-controlled information, or anyone else’s unpublished work. 

Fairness and Non-Discrimination

Watch for bias and discrimination:

  • Assess your datasets and results for bias, and take steps to reduce it. Understand an AI model's mechanisms, including its limitations and the assumptions on which it is built.  
  • Ensure that data used in training and applying AI tools is ethically sourced and free from biases that could skew research outcomes. 

Transparency and Accountability

Be transparent and stay accountable:

  • Be transparent about your research's use of AI and tools and methodologies used. Cite AI-generated material according to your style guide. Disclose the use of AI as your sponsor requires.
  • Avoid unintentional plagiarism by writing your own text and using AI to refine your writing. Authors and PIs remain responsible for everything submitted under their name.

Common Questions

Various academic publishers have different rules regarding the use of AI in research papers. Some may even ban the use of AI for certain parts of the paper creation process. It's important to check the specific policies of the intended publisher to understand what is allowed.

Here are some links to specific publisher policies:

Funding agencies have also begun to provide guidance on the use of AI in developing research proposals. See Funding Agency AI Requirements below.

While not all funding agencies have updated their policies on the use of AI in the peer review process, uploading someone else’s proposal or manuscript to an AI tool should only be done with explicit permission.

Both the NSF and the NIH have banned the use of generative AI in the merit review process.

Major style guides now cover citing AI-generated content:

Some of the risks and safety concerns include:

  • Bias: AI systems have the potential to exhibit unfair or discriminatory behavior, or reflect gaps and biases in training data.
  • Misinformation: AI tools can produce false, misleading or outdated information.
  • Research and IP compliance: AI systems must adhere to legal and ethical guidelines when using proprietary information or conducting research.
  • Data exposure: Content entered into public or personal AI accounts may be stored or used to train future models, putting confidential data, unpublished results, and proposals you are reviewing at risk.
  • Sponsor or publisher violations: Some funders and journals restrict or prohibit certain AI uses.
  • Unintended plagiarism: AI can reproduce existing text or present other people’s ideas without credit.
  • Overreliance: There is a risk of relying too heavily on AI systems without considering their limitations or potential errors.

Yes. For university work, use a UCSB-approved tool (see AI Tools at UCSB below), and be signed in with your UCSB account. Personal or public accounts lack institutional data protections, and they may keep your input and use it to train future models.

Additional UCSB and UC Resources

Funding Agency AI Requirements

AI requirements vary by agency and by activity. Review the guidance that applies before you use AI to prepare a proposal, serve as a reviewer, or carry out funded work. 

National Science Foundation (NSF)

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Department of Defense

  • NDAA 2026 prohibition on certain AI: Bars the use of specified DeepSeek and High Flyer-related AI in DoD contract work
  • DoD policies prohibit the use of technologies, services, or software from restricted foreign entities in DoD-supported projects. Do not upload DoD project data to foreign AI systems or incorporate foreign AI tools into your workflow without prior vetting. Work with the campus Export Control Office (ECO) to confirm the tool’s provider is not a restricted entity before use.

Department of Energy (DOE)

  • DOE has no department-wide policy on AI use in grant applications. Check each funding opportunity announcement, including Genesis Mission solicitations, for program-specific requirements.

NASA

  • NASA Science Mission Directorate ROSES: NASA does not prohibit generative AI in proposals or award reports, but any use must be cited in the proposal references with the tool name, version, date and time of use, and how it was used. Some ROSES programs also ask about AI use on the NSPIRES cover page. Reviewers may not upload proposal content to AI tools.

National Endowment for the Humanities

Generative AI Tools Available to the UCSB Community

UCSB offers several generative AI tools under campus agreements that keep your data out of vendor training. Always sign in with your UCSB account: personal accounts lack these protections. For more information on the UC Protection Levels see the Information Security website.

  • UCSB AI Commons: A campus-supported environment for working with a range of generative AI models.
  • Google Gemini and NotebookLM: Included with your UCSB Google account. Under UCSB's agreement, people do not review your chats and files, and Google does not use them to train its models. 
  • Zoom AI Companion: Available to faculty and staff through UCSB Zoom accounts, for features such as meeting summaries.

AI Commons, Gemini, and NotebookLM are approved for protected data, but P4 data requires a consult with the Office of Information Security first. Zoom AI Companion is approved up to P3. For research data, upload only de-identified, non-confidential data (P1 or P2). 

Cloud AI Platforms for Research Computing

Researchers building their own AI applications can request access to cloud AI platforms, such as Azure OpenAI, Google Vertex AI, AWS Bedrock, and AWS SageMaker. Contact Research Computing and Data or ITS to discuss options and data requirements.

AI@UCSB

Center for Responsible Machine Learning

Researches machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision, with a focus on making AI systems fair, private, transparent, and accountable.

REAL AI

Uses geometry and advanced mathematics to find shared principles of intelligence in brains and AI models.

Mellichamp Initiative in Mind & Machine Intelligence (MMI)

Brings together UCSB researchers across disciplines to understand the human mind and AI, and to design AI that works well with people.

Geometric Intelligence Lab

Uses geometry and advanced mathematics to find shared principles of intelligence in brains and AI models.

NSF AI Institute for Agent-based Cyber Threat Intelligence and Operation (ACTION)

Develops AI agents to work alongside security experts, finding vulnerabilities and detecting and responding to cyberattacks. 

UCSB Natural Language Processing Group

Studies the theory and algorithms of language technologies, including information extraction, dialogue systems, language and vision, and reasoning

Is your UCSB center, lab, or initiative doing AI research that should be listed here? Contact Kelly Pillsbury to be added.

Contacts

Human subjects data and AI:

hsc@research.ucsb.edu

Export controls and DoD restrictions:

exportcontrol@research.ucsb.edu