Tsinghua University shares university-wide framework for the use of AI in teaching and research
China’s Tsinghua University has shared its first comprehensive framework for the use of AI across its campus.
Called Tsinghua University Guiding Principles for the Application of AI in Education, the guidance details five key principles: responsibility, compliance and integrity, data security, prudence and critical thinking, and fairness and inclusiveness.
The framework requires full disclosure of any AI use, while also prohibiting academic misconduct and bans the use of sensitive or unauthorized data in training AI models. It also calls for vigilance against AI-generated errors and recommends multi-source verification to prevent overreliance on the technology.
The guidance is divided into three sections: General Provisions, Teaching and Learning, and Theses, Dissertations and Practical Achievements. Each section provides a framework as well as detailed, scenario-based guidelines focused on key aspects of teaching and research.
Wang Shuaiguo, Director of the Online Education Center and primary drafter of the document, explains: “We hope this will not become a document that restricts innovation. It should be a living system – one that continues to grow as the technology evolves.”
Instructors are asked to define how AI should be used based on each course’s individual objectives, explaining the guiding principles to all students at the start of each term.
Tsinghua University says it hopes the guidance, which has been in development since 2024, supports innovation, rather than simply restricting the use of AI. It plans to promote the principles of the guidance through a new AI literacy platform, faculty workshops, and interdisciplinary dialogue.
