ANR Update

UC ANR guidelines for using AI tools in the workplace

With technology advancements such as ChatGPT, Google Bard and other artificial intelligence (AI)-driven platforms, there's growing enthusiasm within our community to leverage these tools and integrate them into the university context. The following advisory provides guidance on how to use these tools safely, without putting institutional, personal or proprietary information at risk. Additional guidance may be forthcoming as circumstances evolve.

UC ANR recognizes the potential for AI technologies to perpetuate biases and inequalities if not implemented and monitored carefully. Therefore, all AI systems and algorithms used within the university must undergo thorough scrutiny for bias and fairness throughout their development, deployment and ongoing usage.

Implementing AI in our Workplace

If you are looking to implement a new AI tool or process, please review the following guidelines and review the Responsible use of Artificial Intelligence Report, then contact Bethanie Brown at brbbrown@ucanr.edu and Jaki Hsieh Wojan at jhsiehw@ucanr.edu. 

HR and IT will conduct a thorough assessment of the information security, employee and labor relations implications associated with the selected AI tools. They will provide you with support and recommendations regarding the appropriateness of these tools.

AI Training  

A thorough training on the use of AI is required for all employees leveraging AI tools in the workplace. UC Berkeley has made their AI Essentials training publicly available and is highly recommended. Other training programs may be available for use, please contact UC ANR Human Resources at humanresources@ucanr.edu for additional information.

Prohibited Use

• AI tools may not be utilized in situations where they impact an employee's personal information, health and safety or conditions of employment, unless otherwise specified by policy or law.
• Any use of ChatGPT should be with the assumption that no personal, confidential, proprietary or otherwise sensitive information may be used with it. Information classified as Protection Level P2, P3, or P4 should not be used. 
• Similarly, ChatGPT or other public AI tools should not be used to generate output that would be considered non-public. Examples include, but are not limited to, proprietary or unpublished research; legal analysis or advice; recruitment, personnel or disciplinary decision making; completion of academic work in a manner not allowed by the instructor; creation of non-public instructional materials; and grading. 
• Please also note that OpenAI explicitly forbids the use of ChatGPT and their other products for certain categories of activity, including fraud and illegal activities. This list of items can be found in their usage policy document.

Precautions

• Ethics

It is imperative to prioritize the well-being and rights of employees by ensuring human oversight and accountability. The use of AI to make high-stakes decisions or penalize employees should be avoided. In addition to the consideration of the ethical implications, clear processes, procedures and standards and potentially union notifications must first be put in place prior to leveraging AI that impacts an employee's conditions of employment.

• Scams

Be wary of fake websites attempting to mask as popular AI apps. This article shares how to tell ChatGPT scams apart from the real ChatGPT website (link is external).

• Errors and “Hallucinations”

When using generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Bard and similar technologies for business purposes, be vigilant about "hallucinations" — moments when the AI generates unverified or incorrect information. Always cross-check the tool's output for accuracy before incorporating it into university-related tasks. While generative AI is potent, it can occasionally produce false or misleading content. Ensure all facts and figures generated by these tools are independently verified through non-AI sources before use. In other words, don't simply copy and paste what is produced into your work. 

• Bias

When using Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, it's important to recognize that the datasets used to train the models may be trained on incomplete or biased data. Implicit and systemic biases can inadvertently be built into AI systems. Such biases run counter to UC ANR's institutional values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Therefore, using outputs in a way that amplifies these biases can be contrary to our shared institutional values. 

• Illegal Content

Data sets used to train AI, and the resulting models, can also contain illegal content. It is important to be aware of what data sets contain and to avoid storing illegal content on UC systems, even inadvertently. Register data sets you are using with HR and IT, and be sure to notify immediately both units if you find or become aware of illegal content. 

Potential Opportunities for Use

Publicly available information (Protection Level P1) can be used freely in ChatGPT. In all cases, use should be consistent with the UC ANR Principles of Community. Areas to consider the use of AI:

• Promotional Materials, Image and Video Production
  Automate the creation of promotional material. Edit and create images, as well as voiceover tracks for videos, to elevate your media production.
• Coding and Web Development
  Draft code for common programming tasks, accelerating the development process.
• Job Descriptions and Postings
  Use templates to suggest customized language for position overviews, key responsibilities and qualifications. Review the language to ensure it is free from unintended biases as biased wording may discourage certain groups from applying, potentially impacting the diversity of the applicant pool.
• Training and Onboarding
  Develop training materials and FAQs for new tools and automate responses to common questions during staff training sessions.
• Website and Communications Content
  Edit text for clarity and grammar, suggest optimal layouts, headlines and meta descriptions, and draft content for course listings, prerequisites or institutional information.

References

• Educator considerations for ChatGPT
• OpenAI sharing & publication policy
• OpenAI usage policies
• OpenAI privacy policy
• OpenAI terms & policies
• UCLA: Data Protection Guidance
• UCB: Appropriate use of AI Tools
• UCSD: Using AI Tools in Administration

Join UC ANR Moves at 1:15 p.m. on May 1

Join the UC ANR Moves event on Wednesday, May 1, from 1:15 to 2 p.m. UC ANR Moves promotes health and well-being by encouraging all employees to take a walk or engage in another physical activity for 30 to 40 minutes  This annual event is intended to promote a thriving culture of health and well-being throughout UC ANR's work environment.

At 1:15 p.m., Scott Brayton, Staff Assembly chair, will kick off the event with a stretch session. Join him by Zoom:

Zoom https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/98754220328?pwd=b0tML3czSDdKd3U4ZUQzVzBXMGRBdz09
Meeting ID: 987 5422 0328
Passcode: 793713

Make this event fun!

Wear your silliest t-shirt or organize with your colleagues to dress up according to a theme or make posters and spread some love in the community. Either way, wear sun protection and take lots of photos and some videos! 

Employees at the UC ANR Building in Davis will meet on the back patio by the breakroom.

• 1:15 -1:25 p.m. – Kick off: Scott Brayton, Staff Assembly Council chair, will kick us off with a rally and stretch.
• 1:25 to 2 p.m. – Walk at your location. Bring a bottle of water or hydrate well before the walk.

Please upload your mp4 videos and photos of your UC ANR Moves activities to the Box folder “UC ANR Moves” by May 8. Ethan Ireland will compile them into a single video, which we will show at the ANR town hall.

Hope to walk with you!
Jodi Azulai, on behalf of the Staff Assembly Wellness Committee 

Scott Brayton, Emma Tribble, Suzanne Burton, Tatiana Avoce, Andrea Rayray, Lucie Cahierre, and Nora Lopez

 

General salary increase program 2024-2025

The University of California plans to provide a general 4.2% salary increase for eligible, policy-covered staff employees and academic employees, contingent on the outcome of the state budget allocation. UC President Drake recently shared his support of the general increase, along with the expectation that should the state budget be significantly altered, an updated announcement may be shared.  

Policy-covered staff employees

• Salary increases will be implemented as a general increase, where all eligible policy-covered staff employees would receive a 4.2% increase to their base salary, effective July 1, 2024, for monthly and June 23, 2024, for bi-weekly paid employees.  
• Although this year's salary program for policy-covered staff is not a merit program where performance is a consideration related to the salary increase amount, the importance of the annual performance review process should not be discounted. All policy-covered staff employees should continue to receive, at least annually, a performance review per policy. 

Policy-covered academic employees 

• For policy-covered academic appointees, the academic salary scales will be increased by a general range adjustment of 4.2%. The adjustment to the academic salary scales will be effective July 1, 2024. 
• The regular peer-review merit advancement process for policy-covered academic appointees will continue per academic personnel policy.

Represented staff and academic employees

• Salary increases for exclusively union-represented employees are governed by their respective collective bargaining unit agreements, which are separate from this salary plan. 

Eligibility criteria and guidelines will be available and shared shortly. For additional questions, please feel free to reach out to Human Resources at humanresources@ucanr.edu.

Employee Comment: Proposed revisions to APM Section 016, University Policy on Faculty Conduct and the Administration of Discipline

The University invites comments on proposed revisions to the following Academic Personnel Manual policy: 

• APM - 016, University Policy on Faculty Conduct and the Administration of Discipline

Summarized below are the proposed key policy revisions that are being distributed for systemwide review.   

Key policy revisions

The policy revisions respond to the need to revise APM - 016 to address the handling of simultaneous academic misconduct investigations and personnel actions and include: 

• Pause on Academic Personnel Review Actions: At the beginning of a formal investigation of alleged misconduct by a faculty member, if the Chancellor (or Chancellor's designee) finds that any of the alleged misconduct is relevant to the assessment criteria for academic personnel review actions, the Chancellor (or Chancellor's designee) may impose a no-fault pause on any current or future academic personnel action (e.g., for merit, promotion, or advancement) of that faculty member. Locations are responsible for developing implementation procedures that address at what stage in existing local procedures the pause occurs and that identify the offices that have responsibility for providing written confirmation of the pause to the respondent, giving a respondent periodic updates on the status of the investigation, and for notifying relevant administrators of the beginning and end of the pause. 
• Conclusion of the pause: The pause will end when the investigative and disciplinary processes are concluded. In the event of a disciplinary process following a formal investigation, the pause will end when a final decision is made whether to impose disciplinary sanctions. The academic personnel process may then proceed according to campus procedures.

Assistant Professors in Year 8: If the investigative and disciplinary processes are not concluded by the beginning of the faculty member's eighth year of service at the rank of Assistant Professor (or a combination of equivalent titles), the Chancellor is authorized to recommend to the President that the appointment be extended beyond the eighth year, in accordance with Regents Bylaw 40.3(c). 

The proposed APM - 016 is posted to the Academic Personnel and Programs website under the “Systemwide Review” tab. It can also be reviewed here: https://ucanr.edu/sites/PCPA/Revisions/.

If you have any questions or if you wish to comment on this policy revision, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu, no later than July  1, 2024. Please indicate “APM-016 Revision” in the subject line. 

Aggie Enterprise continued support, office hours resume April 16

During this ongoing stabilization period for our new financial system and Chart of Accounts structure, the UC ANR Aggie Enterprise Team has extended its office hours and continues to support users and find concrete solutions to challenges.

If you encounter an issue with a transaction process, report or any other aspect of the new system, please work with your business manager and/or fiscal officer as they partner with the UC ANR Aggie Enterprise Team to address concerns and find solutions. Continued support is also available to all UC ANR Aggie Enterprise users by opening a service ticket via email to ANR-AggieEnterprise@ucanr.edu and attending office hours.  

Office hours (4/16 through 6/13/2024)

Tuesdays and Thursdays 

1 pm to 3 pm

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 530 400 4429

The ANR Aggie Enterprise team will continue to closely monitor user feedback and may extend office hours beyond June 13 based on need.

If you need to escalate an urgent matter, please contact our UC ANR Aggie Enterprise Project Manager Raghuvir Goradia at rjgoradia@ucanr.edu. 

Tu Tran
Associate Vice President, Business Operations

 

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