AI Content Guidelines

Important notes: AI tools are powerful collaborators — but they are not infallible. Always verify AI-generated content for accuracy, appropriateness and context before using it.

Also, when using AI tools, assume that any data entered into such tools could become publicly accessible. Do not input any sensitive, confidential or restricted data through these tools. Purdue-owned marks should also not be uploaded to third-party services. Always review Purdue’s data-handling policies and consult IT security if you have questions about what data is appropriate to use with these tools. Sensitive and confidential information, including anything governed by federal or university privacy laws related to medical (like HIPAA) or education records (like FERPA) should never be entered into AI tools.

1. Introduction and guiding principles

As the marketing and communications engine for one of the most innovative public universities in the world, Purdue Brand Studio and Purdue Brand Network embraces and celebrates advancement, innovation and creativity. We believe AI technology presents exciting opportunities to enhance our marketing and communications efforts while reinforcing the irreplaceable role of human creativity and strategic thinking. 

These guidelines provide a framework for responsibly integrating artificial intelligence as a collaborative partner in our creative, strategic and operational workflows — enhancing, not replacing, human ingenuity.  

At Purdue Brand Studio, we see AI as a valuable co-creator, not as a replacement for the human creativity, ethical judgment and brand stewardship that define our work. At the end of the day, Purdue marketers and communicators are responsible for carefully reviewing and approving all AI-assisted work to ensure it is accurate and aligned with our values and distinct brand voice. Our commitment to ethical AI use is grounded in six core principles: 

• Creativity first: AI should support and amplify human creativity, not replace it. Human imagination, insight and originality remain at the core of all Purdue Brand Studio and partner work. 
• Accuracy and authenticity: Content must always reflect truth, transparency and Purdue’s brand values. AI-assisted outputs must be fact-checked, accurate and carefully reviewed for bias. 
• Human oversight: Every AI-assisted output must undergo human refinement and approval before publication. 
• Ethical integrity: AI tools must be used responsibly, inclusively and in compliance with copyright laws. 
• Data privacy and security: All AI tools must be leveraged in compliance with data security and privacy standards, per policies established and followed by Purdue University. 
• Flexibility and adaptability: Evolving tools and breakthroughs may require a fresh approach or a shift in guidelines — be prepared to adjust along with Purdue Brand Studio as new AI innovations emerge. 

2. Acceptable uses of AI in marketing and communications 

AI-driven tools are reshaping how we connect, create and communicate. From smarter content to sharper insights, they offer new ways to work faster, reach further and stay ahead in a changing digital landscape. Here are some of the ways we encourage AI to be used among campus communicators and marketers: 

Improve productivity and operational efficiency 

• Automatically record and transcribe meetings, making it easier to reference key discussions and decisions. 
• Generate detailed meeting notes that highlight key points, speaker contributions and follow-up actions. 
• Draft and assign action items based on meeting context and deadlines. 
• Shorten, clarify and refine internal and external communications for emails, reports and memos. 

Assist with content development 

• Create research briefs and executive summaries to support content planning and decision-making. 
• Condense long-form research articles into digestible insights for team members and stakeholders. 
• Generate first drafts of outlines, scripts or articles to kick-start writing workflows. 
• Add depth to strategic content by identifying emerging trends, gaps and supplemental data. 

Support strategic planning and audience targeting 

• Build rich audience personas based on market data, behavioral trends and psychographic insights. 
• Clearly define and refine target audiences by analyzing demographics, interests and content engagement. 
• Leverage existing market research to shape clear, goal-driven strategies and messaging frameworks. 
• Test concepts and messages through AI-assisted synthetic audiences and feedback simulations. 
• Collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative data to inform campaign strategy and creative direction. 
• Monitor social media for brand mentions, competitor activity and public sentiment. 

Enhance creativity and content ideation 

• Support brainstorming sessions by generating early ideas, themes and storytelling angles. 
• Provide headline, subject line and call to action (CTA) variations for A/B testing and performance optimization. 
• Offer other creative versioning suggestions to tailor messaging across platforms and audiences. 
• Repurpose existing content into new formats — turning reports into infographics, stories into social posts or videos into social cuts.  
• Perform initial editing and proofreading passes (with human review required to meet Purdue’s editorial standards). 
• Automate repetitive tasks such as transcription, SEO keyword suggestions, tagging and meta descriptions. 

Support visual storytelling 

• Generate inspiration mood boards and develop visual languages that align with brand and campaign goals. 
• Create detailed storyboards or shot list concepts to guide production planning. 
• Write image alt text that is descriptive, accessible and SEO-friendly. 
• Do quick photo selects removing similar images and resolving common issues. 

Enhance production quality 

• Extend or enhance photo and video backgrounds with AI-generated elements that maintain a sense of realism. 
• Retouch visuals to remove distractions or unify aesthetics across a campaign or gallery. 
• Crop, format or optimize image and video assets for multiple channels and resolutions. 

3. Restrictions on AI-generated content 

AI must not be used to: 

• Write entire, final versions of official messages, memos, news releases or public statements. 
• Generate final copy, images, videos or brand assets without human review and approval. 
• Create final alt text for images  — as AI tools are not yet accurate enough to rely on for audience consumption without human proofreading. 
• Produce images or interpretations of university trademarks, logos or branded elements. 
• Create deepfakes or any content that misrepresents reality — including the use of AI to generate likenesses of  individuals, such as students, faculty or staff, or Purdue locations, such as a lab or classroom, that don’t exist.  
• Be used to create synthetic artwork or imagery that misleads. Disclosure, credits and citations must always be considered on a per project basis 
• Replace human judgment in crisis communications, sensitive topics or legal matters. 
• Substitute real, authentic, human-centered communication (e.g., eulogies, crisis communications, personal messages). 

4. Human oversight and review 

• AI-generated text must be revised for brand voice, edited and approved by an accountable human before publication. 
• AI-assisted images and video must represent reality and align with Purdue’s brand standards.  
• AI-generated content must maintain Purdue’s established tone, voice and visual standards.

5. Transparency and disclosure 

• If AI plays a significant role in content creation, disclosure may be required to maintain audience trust. 
  • Work should be evaluated on a by-project basis.  
• AI should never be used in a way that obscures authorship or misrepresents reality. 

6. Brand and ethical considerations 

• AI-generated content must adhere to Purdue’s brand guidelines and quality standards. 
• All AI outputs must be reviewed for sensitive data, bias and factual accuracy. 
• AI tools must comply with copyright and intellectual property laws. 
• No sensitive student or employee education or medical data, or other confidential information, should ever be uploaded to an AI tool. 

7. Available tools and ongoing adaptation 

• Currently, Purdue GenAI Studio and Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat are available to all Purdue staff when logged in with Purdue credentials.  
• Purdue Brand Studio recognizes other common tools, such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Grammarly, DALL-E, Canva AI, Midjourney and Otter.ai. However, Purdue University does not officially endorse or support these services. Users should carefully review each tool’s terms of service, privacy policies and data-handling practices before use.  
• Purdue Brand Studio will continuously evaluate AI advancements and ethical best practices. 
• AI policies will be reviewed biannually and updated each July and December to align with technological advancements, industry standards and university policies. Urgent changes to the AI landscape will result in more frequent updates to our guidelines. 

These guidelines are for communications and marketing professionals who work for Purdue University. They are not intended to govern any other areas of the university, such as student work or educational settings.