Approved Generative AI Tools
A key aspect of AI literacy and engaging in active learning is knowing what tools are available to you. District-ready Generative AI products and tools come from either our own internal development or external vendors. The rapid evolution of AI technology has introduced significant data security and legal complexities. Our priority remains enabling productive work within a secure and compliant environment, while recognizing and valuing the exploration and innovation happening District-wide. Unapproved, third-party GenAI products are blocked on the CPS network to maintain our robust AI Governance, protect our District, mitigate risk, and ensure responsible adoption. Approved tools have entered into an enterprise data share agreement, meaning they have a contract with CPS agreeing not to train their models on or store any data from interactions with their product–ensuring student privacy. Read more in the CPS AI Access Overview.
Enterprise Products
| Product | Use Case | Access Notes | Exemplar Outputs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini | This is your District-approved chatbot. Use responsibly as a search and content generation tool. Create “Gems”, reusable tools tailored to your instructions and documents. | Gemini can be accessed through the chatbot interface, or integrated into your Google Suite through the Gemini diamond icon in toolbars. | Set to be Released for Back-to-School |
| Microsoft Copilot | If you have a preference for ChatGPT or Claude instead of Gemini, Microsoft Copilot allows you to use their OpenAI GPT models and Claude Opus models in a District-approved, data-safe manner. We can create agents in copilot just like Gems, but unlike Gems the token usage (processing cost) is NOT FREE when shared | You have to sign in through Microsoft, NOT create a personal account with your CPS email, for your usage to fall under the CPS data-privacy agreement | No exemplar outputs |
| Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) | With Gemini Notebook, you can:
|
No access notes | HQIM Evaluation Research - An interactive podcast on understanding what makes instructional materials high quality |
For For more details on how to get started with enterprise products, explore the GenAI 101 - AI Literacy slide deck.
Internal AI Product Development Process
At first glance, the generative AI marketplace seems saturated with capable, ready-to-use products. However, our mandate at CPS goes beyond mere functionality: we strive for student privacy, instructional quality, and equitable access. While we leverage external tools where appropriate, we prioritize internal development for high-stakes use cases to ensure AI implementations in the District align with our values and obligations. We build our own tools not to reinvent the wheel, but to ensure the vehicle is safe for our students to ride in. Internal development of generative AI tools has value for customization to CPS specific contexts and needs such as faster curriculum creation and support with District-specific knowledge and rubrics, and reduced reliance on costly external purchases and customization allowing for long-term cost efficiencies.
If you have ideas for internal AI use cases that would be valuable for the District, use this simple form to capture your ideas for using AI to improve our operations: AI Use Case Template. The goal is to clearly outline the opportunity and establish a baseline so we can measure our success.
Exemplar: CPS Assist
The objective of CPS Assist is to serve as a knowledgeable and supportive chatbot, empowering stakeholders from all areas of CPS to effectively access and use the District's widespread resources. CPS Assist currently exists in the form of individual chatbots for different departments, and with time will be consolidated into one District-wide chatbot covering all CPS knowledge bases. CPS Assist is currently available to Transportation, HR, and ITS, with a Skyline chatbot in development.
Beyond Enterprise
Do you have a specific use case not met by the District Enterprise tools or our internal development? All known GenAI products and their approval statuses can be found in the EdTech Catalog, updated annually in July. There are hundreds of EdTech tools in the catalog across grade bands and content areas.
Product Approval
Still not fi nding what you need? It’s possible you have an AI product that fi lls a use case not covered by the District Enterprise tools or any of the products found in the EdTech Catalog. When proposing a new product for approval, ensure it is not already listed in the EdTech Catalog as not having passed the approval process. The District solicits for EdTech products, including AI EdTech tools, annually. New products cannot be used until they have a contract and data share agreement with the District. Be aware that this process can take up to a year and half. This document and the EdTech Catalog will be updated as new products become available.
External AI Product Approval Process
Within CPS’ AI Governance Framework, the Instructional Practice AI Operating Committee established a process to approve and oversee all school-based pilots that leverage GenAI tools. To approve a pilot, they review how the pilot aligns with the Five-Year Strategic Plan and CPS’ AI Exploration Rubric, participation, data collection, and scaffolding plans, expected impact and academic outcomes, and proposed success metrics. Once approved, they divide the duration of the pilot into three phases and assess the successes, lessons learned, and resulting impacts on the pilot at each benchmark. Once concluded, they analyze the impact of the pilot on teachers and students, insights from data collection, scaffolding, and next steps to deliver a fi nal recommendation to the AI Steering Committee.