The draft Guiding Principles for Artificial Intelligence below are the result of an ongoing, campus-wide conversation and now encompass the full breadth of university life, including education, research, and administrative operations. At the same time, they are designed to be living principles that allow us to remain agile as this technology develops and our understanding of its myriad applications continues to evolve.
We invite members of the Lehigh community to share feedback through this confidential survey (Note: To limit survey respondents to members of the Lehigh community, you will be asked to authenticate via SSO. However, your comments will be anonymized. Comment period ends February 28, 2026)
DRAFT FOR COMMENT: Our Guiding Principles for Artificial Intelligence at Lehigh
Introduction
AI-based tools are quickly becoming part of how universities teach, learn, conduct research, and run day-to-day operations. At Lehigh, many faculty, staff, and students are already engaging these tools thoughtfully, testing what they make easier, identifying what they complicate, and raising real questions about quality, integrity, equity, privacy, workload, and the character of our relationships. This document is a reflection of many of these ongoing conversations.
These principles are not intended to function as a fixed set of policy statements or a one-size-fits-all mandate. They are shared guideposts: a common starting point to support units, departments, and teams as they continue local, discipline-appropriate conversations about productive and responsible AI use. The aim is to reduce ambiguity, encourage learning, and provide a consistent set of considerations—without foreclosing discussion and experimentation or substituting central direction for professional judgment.
Because the technologies and our institutional uses of it are changing rapidly, we expect these principles to evolve. We are actively seeking ongoing feedback from across the Lehigh community—from faculty, staff, students, and leadership—about what is working, what is unclear, and where additional guidance or guardrails are needed. These principles should be treated as a living framework: refined over time through shared experience, evidence about impact, and ongoing conversation.
1. We will use AI in ways that promote Lehigh’s mission, values, and identity.
This means aligning AI adoption with our mission of “advancing learning through the integration of teaching, research, and service to others”. We will draw on Lehigh’s deep expertise across disciplines to navigate AI’s complexities. Guided by our strategic priority to create A Lehigh for Everyone, we will favor AI tools, platforms, and practices that expand access, reduce barriers, and support an inclusive environment for everyone.
2. We will keep people and human relationships at the center of everything we do.
This means putting people first. AI will not replace meaningful human judgment, decisions, relationships, care, or mentorship. We will use AI tools and platforms where and when they effectively support and empower the work of students, faculty, and staff.
3. We will educate our community to understand, use, and evaluate AI.
This means investing in our community’s capacity to use AI skillfully and responsibly. We will provide training and support so students, faculty, and staff understand how AI tools and platforms function and can apply them effectively in their work, including the ability to critically evaluate and validate their results.
It also means engaging in open dialogue about AI. We will continue to create opportunities for open and critical dialogue about AI’s capabilities, limitations, and societal impact.
4. We will innovate with AI where it has the potential to improve learning and work.
This means encouraging exploration and experimentation with AI across the university to enhance creativity, understanding, and efficiency, and refining our approaches as technologies and needs evolve. In the educational domain, we will prioritize AI uses that improve student learning and outcomes, rigorously and continuously assessing the impact of AI tools and platforms in educational contexts. In the research domain we will support uses of AI that accelerate the processes of discovery and enhance our ability to creatively understand and address important global challenges.
5. We will use AI lawfully, ethically, and securely.
This means ensuring that all AI use complies with existing policies, codes of conduct, and applicable laws, and affirming that individuals remain responsible for the work they produce and the ideas they claim as their own. For example, we will protect institutional, student, and employee data by adhering to institutional, state, and federal regulations and by refraining from entering sensitive or high-level data into unvetted or insecure AI tools and platforms.
This also means governing AI ethically, fairly, and transparently. We will set standards for how AI tools and platforms are procured, vetted, used and monitored, prioritizing fairness, explaining AI-supported decisions, and ensuring appropriate human responsibility and review for high-impact uses.
Share your feedback on these principles. (Note: To limit survey respondents to members of the Lehigh community, you will be asked to authenticate via SSO. However, your comments will be anonymized. Comment period ends February 28, 2026)