Generative AI has been transformative in assisting and streamlining communications across the University. Members of the Generative AI Enterprise Pilot, run by the AI and Machine Learning Competency Centre, have enhanced their communication and collaboration efforts using ChatGPT Enterprise and Copilot for Microsoft 365.
Dr Erica Ballabio, Contracts and Information Governance Manager at the Nuffield Department of Medicine, has been using ChatGPT in a variety of ways, including drafting written communications. She has found that ChatGPT has been a valuable tool to help create structured email responses as well as drafting newsletter items. When offered gold standard examples, ChatGPT has been able to help produce content well-suited for the Department’s audience while saving the team valuable time.
Erica’s team has also been using ChatGPT for various collaborative projects. For example, the team used it to conduct gap analyses of their Information Security and Information Governance policy stack, as well as comparing their policy stacks to the ISO27001 standard. This saved the team a significant amount of time and ensured a more thorough review. The team has also developed Custom GPTs to help researchers understand information assets and improve their knowledge of data protection.
In the Centre for Teaching and Learning, Chloe Walker has adopted ChatGPT Enterprise in her role as Digital Education Consultant. Chloe has been primarily using the tool to streamline communications, drafting emails, reports, and proposals. By starting out with rough notes or general ideas, Chloe can prompt ChatGPT to develop these into a first draft which she can further edit and finalise. ChatGPT has also been useful for brainstorming new ideas for workshops or team activities. Chloe has said:
“ChatGPT has been a highly effective tool, supporting a wide range of tasks, from routine communication to complex work, saving me both time and energy”
The integration of Copilot for Microsoft 365 with the University’s Nexus 365 tenancy has proved very useful for assisting colleagues in their work efforts. Ben Hill, Enterprise and Integration Platform Manager in IT Services, has been using Copilot to unearth hard-to-find but exceptionally useful documentation buried in SharePoint. He has also been using Copilot to search through documentation and provide customised answers, cutting down on the time needed to read multiple blogs or documents. Ben has also been able to create graphs in Excel, format documents in Word and assist with email drafting in Outlook.
Simon Hamerton, Senior Service Relationship Manager in IT Services, has been taking advantage of Copilot for Microsoft 365. Simon has found the tool particularly useful in Teams meetings. Using Copilot, together with recorded transcripts, Simon can more actively engage in the meeting knowing that a reliable transcript complete with AI meeting summary and key action items awaits him after the meeting has been concluded. Simon then takes this one step further:
“My favourite aspect is asking Copilot to clarify the context of someone’s suggestion or to ‘look at different perspectives by topic’, it is like continuing the conversation after everyone has left the room.”
Like Ben, Simon has been experimenting with Copilot in Outlook though has found that results may vary depending on how well thought out the given prompt is. He has said:
“Prompting is like consulting the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: you might ask, “What’s the meaning of life?” and get the answer “42.” However, it only makes sense if you’ve asked the right question. In prompting, the answer might be perfect, but without the right context the results can be hilarious.”
Get started!
Staff members interested in implementing these tools can purchase GenAI licences through the AI and Machine Learning Competency Centre. For additional implementation strategies, previous AI and me articles offer further inspiration.
