These situations are part of everyday work at the University. As artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as Microsoft Copilot become more common, they are reminding us that information often extends far beyond the document, email or workspace where it was originally created. Whether drafting content, summarizing documents, preparing meeting notes or answering questions, these tools can help us work more efficiently by finding and connecting information across the tools we already use.
Most of us have experienced familiar workplace challenges. We've searched for a document we know exists but cannot find. We've opened multiple versions of a file and wondered which one is the most current. We've inherited a collaborative initiative or project and struggled to locate information needed to continue the work.
What is changing is that AI is making some of these questions more visible. It is also encouraging us to reconsider some long-standing habits. Actions that once seemed straightforward, such as sending an email attachment, sharing a document with external collaborators, posting information on a website or granting access to a file, can have broader implications in a highly connected digital environment.
When people use Copilot to locate information, summarize content or provide insights, the results depend in part on the information available within their digital environment. This makes the quality, location, accessibility and management of information increasingly important.
This raises important questions about the information we work with every day:
- Would I know who can access a document, view information in a Teams space or read content I have published on SharePoint or the intranet?
- If I send an email, who else might eventually read it if it is forwarded or saved elsewhere?
- If I share a document or link with a colleague, student, researcher or external collaborator, do I understand who can access it now and who may be able to access it in the future?
- If information remains available for months or years, would I still be comfortable with the audience that can access it?
- If an AI tool used information from a document, email, website or shared workspace, would I be confident that the content was current, accurate and appropriate?
These questions do not have the same answer for every type of information. For some employees, they may relate to committee records, financial information, student services documentation or operational procedures. For others, they may involve teaching materials, research data, publications or collaboration with partners outside the University.
Some content is intended to be widely shared across the University community. Other information may require greater care because it relates to students, employees, research activities, finances or confidential discussions. Collaboration remains essential to teaching, research and administration. At the same time, the increasing volume of information exchanged with students, external researchers, partner organizations and service providers makes thoughtful sharing and access decisions increasingly important.
AI can help us find, connect and summarize information more quickly than ever before. At the same time, it reminds us that information continues to evolve after it is created. It may be shared, updated, stored, reused and sometimes forgotten. Understanding where information resides, who can access it and whether it remains current is becoming increasingly important for all of us.