May 2026
Overview
The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is advancing a coordinated, enterprise-level approach to artificial intelligence that emphasizes responsible use, measurable mission value, and broad community participation. UMB’s AI strategy integrates governance, secure technology platforms, faculty- and staff-driven innovation, and disciplined investment prioritization across education, research, clinical care, administration, student services and community engagement.
AI Ideation Steering Committee
The AI Ideation Steering Committee, chaired by Provost Dr. Roger Ward, provides strategic oversight of UMB’s AI initiatives. The Committee is composed of ten members representing academic, administrative, and technical leadership and is charged with the following objectives:
- Governance and Risk Stewardship
Oversee the development and implementation of an AI Governance Policy and Framework that ensures ethical, compliant, and secure use of artificial intelligence. - Strategic Investment and Value Creation
Identify priority areas where AI adoption can deliver demonstrable gains in efficiency, service quality, research productivity, and institutional effectiveness. - Community‑Driven Adoption
Foster a “grassroots-friendly” AI ecosystem that empowers faculty, staff, and students to responsibly explore and adopt AI within clear institutional guardrails.
AI Policy and Institutional Guidance
UMB has established foundational policy and guidance to support responsible AI use:
- AI Governance Policy – Defines institutional expectations for accountability, oversight, data protection, and ethical use.
- AI Guidelines – Provides practical guidance for day‑to‑day AI use by faculty, staff, and students.
- USM System‑wide AI Guidance (in progress) – A draft policy under development by the University System of Maryland for adoption across member institutions.
Enterprise AI Technology Environment
UMB AI Website
UMB has launched an all‑inclusive AI website serving as the authoritative hub for AI‑related resources. The site consolidates:
- Policies and guidelines
- Approved AI tools and platforms
- Security considerations and risk guidance
- AI initiatives underway across schools and departments
Copilot Chat
Copilot Chat is available to UMB employees and students as a secure alternative to consumer AI tools. It supports information discovery, content generation (emails, summaries, outlines), and image creation—while remaining within UMB’s protected Microsoft environment.
Microsoft 365 Copilot
Approximately 150 UMB faculty and staff currently use Microsoft 365 Copilot to enhance productivity across Microsoft applications. Copilot supports faster work execution, improved insight generation, and enterprise‑grade collaboration with embedded security.
NebulaONE
NebulaONE is a Microsoft Azure‑native generative AI platform enabling UMB to build AI solutions such as chatbots and data‑powered agents. The platform supports multimodal interaction and is production‑ready for enterprise-wide strategic initiatives as well as school‑level and departmental deployment.
Additional Generative AI Tools
UMB is pursuing enterprise agreements with Google (Gemini), OpenAI (ChatGPT), and Anthropic (Claude). These agreements will:
- Provide secure, licensed access through the UMB Software Licensing Office
- Allow use of internal Level‑1 classified data
- Keep institutional data within protected enterprise environments
Note: These platforms do not include Business Associate provisions; therefore, sensitive data such as PII should not be used.
Engagement and Capability Building
Prompt‑a‑thons
UMB has conducted two Prompt‑a‑thon series (Spring 2025 and Fall 2025) focused on building AI literacy and practical skills. Additional sessions will be offered in Fall 2026, including:
- AI Foundations – Understanding what AI is and how it supports daily work
- Effective Prompting – Techniques for improving AI‑generated outputs
- Advanced AI Development – Agent creation and solution development for experienced users
Sessions will be offered in a hybrid format.
AI Days
Microsoft has offered to hold “AI Days” at UMB this summer and fall that engaged faculty, staff, and students in hands-on experiences to show how AI can provide efficiencies and solve problems, and achieve a great balance…between automated support and human judgement. The goal is to provide first-hand experience and evidence of AI’s value-added benefits to work and studies.
AI Task Forces
An AI Task Force Interest Questionnaire generated significant campus engagement, with over 100 respondents selecting one of six mission‑aligned task forces:
- Education
- Research
- Clinical Care
- Community Engagement
- Student Services
- Administrative Efficiency
Each task force developed two to three high‑value AI use cases, supported by a Steering Committee facilitator. All use cases were submitted in March 2026 for formal evaluation.
Research Collaborator Chatbot
A Provost‑sponsored initiative led to the development of the AI Research Collaborator Chatbot, designed to accelerate interdisciplinary research by:
- Leveraging trusted internal and external data sources
- Helping faculty identify collaborators across UMB
- Supporting early‑stage grant development and team formation
The tool is in the final stage of testing and will be available to faculty in June.
Use Case Evaluation and Next Steps
The AI Ideation Steering Committee met on May 11, 2026 to begin assessing task force use cases. Evaluation criteria will include:
- Cost and implementation complexity
- Expected return on investment
- Institutional and mission impact
- Efficiency, service quality, and compliance benefits
- Workforce implications
AI initiatives are being treated as strategic investments, not experimental pilots. Following prioritization, solution development and implementation will proceed under Committee oversight.