Update from Stacey

I was at the annual American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) meeting last week, where I attended several educational sessions, met with multiple vendors, and got to sample some local New Orleans food. The conference offered me the opportunity to connect with colleagues and learn new things.

While it was not the official theme of the conference, AI was a part of many of the sessions, whether it was AI improvements from vendors, impacts on student development, or compliance issues. We also spent a lot of time discussing the implications of various federal changes, especially the impacts of H.R.1 (One Big Beautiful Bill) on financial aid. I had never been to New Orleans before, and I definitely need to take a trip there sometime where I can really experience the area more deeply.

AI assistants in Zoom meetings

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) recently received a surge in support tickets related to the use of third-party AI assistants (e.g., otter.ai, fireflies.ai, not.ai) in Zoom meetings and webinars. The use of third-party AI assistants in any UMN environment is prohibited because of the security risk it poses to University data and private information.

To ensure University data is protected, take the following actions:

• Remove all third-party AI assistants from your devices. You may not even be aware that you’ve allowed access. Perform this check to be sure.
• Use existing security controls in your Zoom meetings set-up.
• Report instances of unexpected AI assistants in UMN-hosted Zoom meetings to security@umn.edu.

Zoom AI Companion is an opt-suite of tools that is available to staff. Please note: highly-restricted data may not be used with Zoom AI Companion. Let participants know you plan to use AI at the start of the meeting. For more information on Zoom AI Companion, refer to the Technology Help page.

For more information on the use of AI at the University, see Artificial Intelligence: Appropriate Use of Generative AI Tools. Use of supported Generative AI tools must also be consistent with the University’s Data Security Classification Policy.