Tools & Access

Which AI tools to use at DSPH, how to get them, and the data rules that come with each

This page is the reference for the tools we use across the core sessions and the electives. The short version: use Drexel-licensed tools for Drexel work, check the Drexel data classification for each tool, and never put regulated or sensitive data into a consumer tool.

Drexel’s official hub is AI at Drexel (Office of the Provost). The AI Tools page lists each tool’s availability and the data classification level it’s approved for—treat that page as the authoritative source if anything here and Drexel’s guidance differ.

At a Glance

Tool	Drexel access	Drexel data classification	Best for
ChatGPT Edu	Faculty, staff, and students, Drexel workspace	Governed by Drexel ChatGPT Edu Terms of Use	Writing, summarizing, analysis, custom GPTs
Microsoft Copilot Chat with Enterprise Data Protection	Students, faculty, and staff	High Risk Data when signed in with Drexel account; Low Risk Data otherwise	Web-based AI chat, drafting, summarizing
Microsoft 365 Copilot (the paid Copilot inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams)	Not currently provided by Drexel	n/a	Use Copilot Chat instead: paste or upload your content
Zoom AI Companion	Faculty, staff, and students	High Risk Data when not recorded/transcribed; Low Risk Data when recorded/transcribed	Meeting summaries, recaps, action items
Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant / PDF Spaces	Faculty, staff, and students	Moderate Risk Data	PDF summarizing, Q&A, cited answers
Adobe Creative Cloud / Express with Firefly	Faculty, staff, and students; some licenses are extra cost	Moderate Risk Data	Graphics, infographics, communication visuals
ChatGPT personal, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, other no-cost tools	Personal or public access	Low Risk Data only; not Drexel-supported	Public or synthetic information only

The One Rule to Remember

Regulated or sensitive information — PHI, non-directory PII, confidential HR information, protected student records, identifiable human-subjects data, contract-protected data, or export-controlled data — goes only into a tool and use case explicitly approved for it. When unsure, do not enter it. Use de-identified or synthetic data and ask for guidance.

Research Data Has Its Own Rules

No research study data goes into commercial or consumer AI tools — personal ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, or any tool outside Drexel’s approved list. That is absolute for anything containing PII or HIPAA-protected information, and it applies to “just testing a prompt” too. For other study data, de-identified, aggregate, or publicly available data may be acceptable in a Drexel-approved tool — but only with the PI’s approval and within the data’s own terms: the IRB protocol, any data use agreement, sponsor conditions, and the source’s terms of use can each be more restrictive than Drexel’s classification tiers. The classification table above is the floor, not the ceiling — when in doubt, ask the PI before any study data touches an AI tool. (For AI in grant writing and manuscripts — a separate set of rules — see Grant & Proposal Development and Manuscript Preparation & Peer Review.)

Students: What You Have Access To

ChatGPT Edu — yes. Students were added in August 2026; sign in with your Drexel account.
Copilot Chat with Enterprise Data Protection — yes. Sign in with your Drexel account and confirm EDP is active.
Zoom AI Companion and the Adobe AI tools — yes, at the classifications listed in the table above.
Microsoft 365 Copilot inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams — no. Drexel does not currently provide this license to anyone. Use Copilot Chat in the browser instead and paste or upload your content; every Copilot Chat prompt in these sessions works that way.
Two Edu-workspace features have low-fidelity substitutes if something isn’t enabled for you: a saved instruction block in a note that you paste at the top of a chat does roughly what a custom GPT does (you re-paste it each time instead of it being built in), and a shared OneDrive folder of files and a written instruction doc does roughly what a shared Project does (the AI won’t read the folder itself—you attach the files each session).
Your course AI policies come from your instructors, not from this site — and that includes the APE and the ILE/capstone, where the supervising instructor, advisor, or preceptor sets the rules. Drexel’s generative AI and teaching guidance is instructor-level guidance, not a university-wide policy. Read the syllabus first; these tools don’t override it.

ChatGPT Edu (Primary Tool)

ChatGPT Edu is Drexel’s institutionally supported version of ChatGPT. It is the default tool for most of what we do in these sessions.

What it gives you

Access to current OpenAI models in a Drexel-managed workspace. In these materials, “the current default model” means whatever model the Drexel ChatGPT Edu workspace selects by default (model names change too often to hard-code); “the smaller/faster model” means the lighter option in the picker.
Prompts and uploaded content are not used to train OpenAI’s models
Higher message limits than the free tier
The ability to build and share custom GPTs (reusable assistants with your own instructions and files) inside the Drexel workspace

How to get access

ChatGPT Edu is available to Drexel faculty, professional staff, and students — access rolled out in phases through 2026, reaching students in August 2026, and is provisioned automatically based on an active Drexel affiliation (Drexel AI Tools page, FAQ). Request access and read the feature details through the IT service catalog: ChatGPT Edu Features and Access. Review the ChatGPT Terms of Use before you start. Bring any access questions to Core 1 or the monthly AI Clinic.

Data rules

Use is governed by the Drexel ChatGPT Edu Terms of Use. Drexel data is not used to train OpenAI models, but the Terms prohibit sensitive information that Drexel must protect by law, contract, or policy. Do not enter PHI, non-directory PII, confidential HR information, protected contracts, export-controlled data, or other restricted information. Student directory information may be used when not marked confidential, but use caution with student work and records. ChatGPT Edu does not override IRB protocols, data use agreements, HIPAA, FERPA, or University policy.

Microsoft Copilot

Drexel provides Copilot Chat with Enterprise Data Protection to faculty, staff, and students. Drexel does not currently provide the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot license, so the Copilot features built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams are not available. In these sessions, you paste or upload content into Copilot Chat instead.

What it gives you

Web-based Copilot Chat for secure drafting, summarizing, and brainstorming when signed in with a Drexel account
Summarize, rewrite, and make tables from text or files you paste or upload
In Outlook, the free Summarize button on email threads and the Copilot pane for drafting and feedback (the paid “Draft with Copilot” and “Coaching by Copilot” buttons are not available)
Help with Excel formulas and data questions when you paste the data or upload the file into Copilot Chat

How to get access

Sign in with your Drexel account at m365.cloud.microsoft/chat or open the Copilot pane in Outlook. Confirm that Enterprise Data Protection is active before using it with Drexel content.

Data rules

Drexel’s AI Tools page lists Copilot Chat with Enterprise Data Protection as usable with High Risk Data when signed in with a Drexel account, and Low Risk Data otherwise. Since April 2026, the in-app Copilot button in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint requires the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot license, which Drexel does not currently provide. Use Copilot Chat in the browser or Outlook instead (details). Do not use a personal Microsoft account for Drexel work.

Zoom AI Companion (Meetings)

Zoom AI Companion is built into Drexel’s Zoom and is strongest for the work that happens in and around meetings.

What it gives you

Meeting summaries with key points and next steps, generated automatically
Smart recordings with highlights and chapters
Catch-up summaries if you join a meeting late
In-meeting questions about what’s been discussed so far

How to get access

It’s included with Drexel’s Zoom license at no extra cost. The meeting host turns it on for a given meeting; account and group settings (managed by Drexel IT) control availability. Participants are notified when it’s active.

Data rules

Zoom states it does not use your meeting audio, video, chat, or shared content to train Zoom’s or third-party AI models. Drexel lists Zoom AI Companion as usable with High Risk Data when a meeting is not recorded or transcribed, and Low Risk Data when it is recorded or transcribed. Notify participants when AI Companion is active and be careful with meetings that involve regulated or confidential information.

Adobe Creative Cloud Pro (Documents & Visuals)

Drexel provides Adobe tools with AI features. Acrobat AI Assistant and PDF Spaces are useful for document work; Creative Cloud and Express use Firefly for visuals.

What it gives you

Acrobat AI Assistant — summarize long PDFs, ask questions about them, and draft text (summaries, emails, key points) with citations back to the source passages.
Firefly / Adobe Express — generative image tools (text-to-image, generative fill and expand) and templates for flyers, infographics, social posts, and slide visuals. Drexel’s tool page notes monthly generative-credit limits. Adobe trains Firefly on licensed and public-domain content and positions output as commercially safe.

How to get access

Data rules

Drexel lists Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant, PDF Spaces, Creative Cloud, and Express as usable with Moderate Risk Data. Confirm the current classification on the AI Tools page before putting real documents into Acrobat AI Assistant. Review generated images before publishing—they can be inaccurate or misrepresent people and communities.

These tools are the focus of the Documents & Visuals with Adobe elective.

Consumer and PI-Purchased Tools

Claude, personal ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Consensus, OpenEvidence, Midjourney, and similar tools may be useful for public information, learning, and fully synthetic examples. They are not Drexel-supported tools unless separately approved through Drexel’s review process.

Use these tools with Low Risk Data only. Drexel notes that data shared with no-cost tools may be used for model training. If you want to purchase or use a tool at a higher data classification level, complete Drexel’s Third Party Risk Assessment process first.

Drexel Policy & Support

AI at Drexel — the Provost’s central hub for tools, guidance, and policy
AI Tools — availability and data classification level for each approved tool (authoritative)
Guidance and Policies — university policy and best practices
Guidance for Staff — staff-specific guidance
AI Trainings — workshops, professional development, and support
Standing Committee on AI (SCAI) — questions about AI at Drexel
For research data governance and IRB questions, consult your IRB and any applicable data use agreements before using any AI tool.

Quick Self-Check Before You Paste

Ask yourself three questions: (1) Is this data regulated or covered by an agreement? (2) Is the tool I’m using approved for that data? (3) Could I use a de-identified or synthetic version instead? If any answer gives you pause, stop and check.