AI tools are useful, and most of what you do with them is fine. This page is about the small number of things that should never go in.
When you type something into an AI tool, you are handing it to a company outside HCC. Once it is in, HCC cannot take it back.
Three kinds of information
When you are not sure, find your situation here.
| Type | What it is | Examples | Where it can go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safe to share | Information anyone could already see | Course topics, published schedules, general questions, your own writing, public web content | Any AI tool |
| Keep inside HCC | HCC work that is not public yet | Drafts, internal notes, project plans, meeting notes, department procedures | Only tools HCC provides |
| Do not share | Information about real people, or money | Grades, student names, health details, pay, evaluations, account numbers, passwords | No AI tool |
If it is about a real person, or it involves money, keep it out of AI.
Never put these into an AI tool
- Grades, transcripts, advising notes, or anything with a student's name attached to their schoolwork
- Health information about anyone
- Employee records, pay, evaluations, discipline, or job applications
- Account numbers, credit card numbers, or banking information
- Passwords, security codes, or network details
- Anything shared with you in confidence
Does your job involve these records? Some HCC tools may be able to help with that work, but only in specific ways. Ask IT before you start. Do not decide on your own.
Uploading counts too
Attaching a file, uploading a PDF, or pasting a screenshot is the same as typing the contents in. The rules above apply to anything you hand the tool, in any form.
Why the rules are stricter for personal tools
When HCC provides a tool, HCC has an agreement with that company. The agreement covers where your information is stored, how long it is kept, and whether it can be used to train the company's AI.
There is no agreement behind ChatGPT, Claude, or any tool you signed up for yourself. Those are covered by the terms you clicked past when you made the account. HCC cannot ask that company to delete anything, and cannot check what happened to it.
A quick test
Would you email this to someone outside HCC? If not, do not put it into a tool HCC does not provide.
What if you already did?
It happens. The important thing is to say something quickly rather than hope it works out.
- Stop using that tool for the work.
- Do not delete anything yet.
- Call the IT Service Desk and tell them what happened.
Reporting it the same day usually means it can be handled quietly. You are not in trouble for asking.
These guidelines follow HCC Board Policy CRB(LOCAL) 101506.