BMS Responsible AI Use

Date: May 2026

Purpose

To articulate how and when Brand and Marketing Services will utilise Generative AI tools to increase our productivity and improve our practise – and when we won't. Note: this is not an AUT wide guideline but is used by our brand, marketing and communications teams when creating content.

Applying AUT's vision & values:

'Enriching lives and creating a better world through technology, learning, and discovery.'

Pono – Tika– Aroha

We want to use AI in line with this vision and ensure we stay true to our values and maintain our brand integrity and reputation. Our guidelines reflect AUT's AI Principles*.

The more the use of AI could influence a decision, belief or emotional response, the more human involvement is required.

We will use AI when it:

• Enhances the student/audience experience (helps them better understand).
• Enables personalisation.
• Helps with image enhancement (not generation of images of people from scratch).
• Helps with video enhancement (not generation of people from scratch).
• Provides summaries to make content more palatable.
• Creates efficiencies and enhances quality of output.
• Enables reformatting original material.

We don't use AI:

• If it undermines trust or credibility in our work and messages (e.g. by misrepresenting an individual, an experience or a location).
• To generate images or video of people – unless these are clearly identifiable as AI generated (e.g. avatars).
• To fabricate, disadvantage or alter cultural identities.
• When our target or partner organisations (e.g. news outlets) specify it should not be used to generate content.
• When it harms AUT experts' role as a trusted source.
• As a sole or primary source of information/truth without verification of sources.
• To replicate or imitate a real person's voice or image to make someone appear to do or say something they did not approve.

Key concepts:

1. Humans first
   • Our work is always led by humans, overseen by humans and approved by humans.
   • AI helps our people by stimulating or building on ideas, improving efficiency, enhancing their creativity.
2. Values led & accountable
   • Our values ground us in truth and guide how we act with integrity, responsibility and care when making decisions about AI use:
     • Kia pono te kupu – be true to your word
     • Kia tika te mahi – do what is right
     • Kia aroha ki te tangata – with courage and care
   • Individuals who generate content using gen AI remain fully responsible for the content's accuracy, tone, brand alignment, and copyright.
   • We will publish these guidelines on our website, and reference them from our social media channels.
3. Enhancement not misrepresentation
   • We will work with AI on backgrounds and enhancing video, images – but not to generate images of individual people, or crowds that did not exist.
   • We will use AI tools to assist with written content creation but not lead with AI generated content.
4. Be bold, and be responsible
   • We will actively explore AI platforms and opportunities but ensure that safeguards are in place; ICT approval is provided; risks are understood and mitigated; and AUT as well as individuals' personal data is secure.
   • We will use the AI Tools Guidance provided by AUT.
   • AI may be used to enhance images of identifiable individuals in alignment with the AUT Privacy Policy.
   • We will not use disclosure labels on content but will publish these guidelines to provide transparency about our use of AI and review them regularly.
5. Culturally informed
   • We will ensure AI translations and personalised messaging are reviewed by native-speakers or in-market partners.
   • We will not use AI to generate 'diversity' or representation but reflect real student diversity.
   • AI chat functionality will be culturally appropriate and offer human escalation points.