publication

Data assets and the future governance of higher education

Authors:
Janja KOMLJENOVIC
Kean BIRCH
2023

In the summer of 2023, Zoom changed its terms of service to allow user data processing to train its artificial intelligence (AI) systems. It faced immediate backlash from users and went on to change its approach. However, CBS News reports that Zoom still plans to use "service generated data" for AI training without obtaining additional user consent, while "customer content" can still be used if the meeting organiser agreed to share data with Zoom. Although Zoom is far from an isolated example, it provides a good illustration of why everyone must now think about what happens to their digital data and why we all need to consider how digital data is governed – including in the higher education sector, where many university students and academics use Zoom for their studies and work.