University of Toronto

Under the University of Toronto Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters (effective July 1, 2025), it is an offence for a student knowingly to use or possess an unauthorized aid or obtain unauthorized assistance in connection with any form of academic work. If an instructor has specified that no outside assistance is permitted on an assignment, the University would typically consider the student's use of generative AI to be use of an unauthorized aid. The Office of Academic Integrity scenario page gives the same example but still shows pre-2025 Code wording and is interpretive rather than the governing text.

The University of Toronto recommends that instructors include a syllabus statement informing students of their expectations on AI use, and provides sample statements for syllabi and assignments for graduate and undergraduate courses; some units may have their own guidelines. The earlier Vice-Provost URL now redirects to the office home page, so the current Vice-Provost, Teaching & Learning FAQ (updated October 2026) is used as the source.

Where approved generative AI use contributes to a University of Toronto doctoral thesis, the thesis must appropriately cite and describe that use so the reader can tell which tools were used, and how and why. Approval to use AI in research does not extend to writing: graduate students must separately seek and document supervisor and committee approval for AI use in writing. SGS does not regulate master's theses, Major Research Papers or comprehensive exams; graduate units set those rules, while the Code of Behaviour and research-misconduct framework still apply.

University of Toronto Information Security guidelines state that no data should be provided to generative AI if any part of it should not appear in that system's results, and that before sharing personal information or university data classified as Level 2, 3 or 4 with any AI tool, users must verify the tool has been assessed by the university as suitable for that data type and level. AI Kitchen tools are approved for Level 3 data or below, except the Model Comparison Tool, which is approved only up to Level 2.

The University of Toronto AI Kitchen lists ChatGPT Edu (OpenAI) for staff, faculty and librarians at negotiated pricing with limited seats, requested through the IT Service Centre. It is not listed as a student tool or as free.

The AI Kitchen lists Claude for Education (Anthropic) for staff, faculty and librarians as free with limited seats, requested through the IT Service Centre. It is not listed as a student tool.

The AI Kitchen lists Microsoft Copilot Chat for students, staff, faculty and librarians as Available and free, accessed by signing in with a U of T account.

The AI Kitchen lists M365 Copilot (integrated across Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook) as Available for staff, faculty and librarians at negotiated pricing through the IT Service Centre. It is a separate licence beyond the free Copilot Chat, and CTSI notes it is not centrally funded.

University of Toronto teaching guidance (CTSI) now names Cogniti as the preferred tool for teaching and learning, embedded in Quercus and free for every student, and Microsoft Copilot Chat as the easiest general-purpose starting point available to everyone at U of T. Tools in the AI Kitchen are vetted and may be used with institutional data up to Level 3. Some licensed tools require a paid subscription not covered by the University. Tool availability does not authorize AI use in a given assessment.

For the doctoral thesis specifically, the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies requires that the use of generative AI tools in any aspect of researching or writing the thesis be done with the prior approval of the supervisor(s) and supervisory committee. Students remain responsible for any AI-generated content in the thesis and must be able to describe and defend any AI use at the final oral examination.

The University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies states that unauthorized use of generative AI tools for scholarly work may be considered an offence under the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters and research misconduct under the Policy on Ethical Conduct in Research and the Framework to Address Allegations of Research Misconduct. This is a possible consequence, not an automatic finding or sanction.

For graduate academic milestones generally (for example comprehensive exams, candidacy and other scholarly activities), the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies recommends that students seek and document in writing unambiguous approval from their supervisor(s) and supervisory committee before using generative AI. This general recommendation sits alongside stricter mandatory rules for the doctoral thesis (see claim-university-of-toronto-001); students, supervisors and graduate units must agree in advance how any AI tools will be used for each milestone.

The AI Kitchen Chef's Kit lists Microsoft Azure AI Foundry as Available for staff, faculty and librarians at negotiated pricing, requested through the IT Service Centre.

Contact North AI Tutor Pro is no longer listed in the central AI Kitchen directory, but the UTSC Centre for Teaching and Learning still lists Contact North AI tools as approved and publicly accessible (no UTORid required), describing AI Tutor Pro as supporting students' knowledge and skill building. This is a campus teaching-centre listing, not a central approval record, and it does not authorize use in a particular assessment.

Contact North AI Teacher's Assistant Pro is no longer listed in the central AI Kitchen directory, but the UTSC Centre for Teaching and Learning lists it among approved, publicly accessible Contact North AI tools that help instructors create syllabi and resources. Removal from the central directory is not evidence that it is prohibited.

Scopus AI is not in the central AI Kitchen directory; the UTSC Centre for Teaching and Learning lists it as an approved tool available in protected mode with UTORid login, integrated into the Scopus database. It is a library research-database feature, not a general assessment permission.

The AI Kitchen lists Microsoft Teams Premium (AI meeting and lecture assistant) as Available for staff, faculty and librarians at negotiated pricing, requested through the IT Service Centre.

Web of Science Research Assistant is not in the central AI Kitchen directory; the UTSC Centre for Teaching and Learning lists it as an approved tool available in protected mode with UTORid login, built into the Web of Science database. It is a library research-database feature.