Microsoft has built the Copilot Notebook Study Guide with strong foundations in privacy and responsible AI principles. Here’s how your data is handled and what safeguards are in place:
-
Data handling and storage: Where does your content go? When you generate a Study Guide, the AI processes your provided documents in real time and creates pages based on them. No new copies of your source files are created – the output is directly saved into your own OneNote notebook in Microsoft 365. All Study Guide pages are therefore stored in your OneDrive/SharePoint, under your account (or your organization’s tenant). This means you own the data, and standard cloud security and compliance measures (encryption at rest, access control via your account) are applied. Microsoft does not use your content or the study guide you generate to train AI models, in accordance with our policies. The service may collect basic telemetry (like feature usage counts) to improve quality, but not the actual content of your notes or answers. If you or your institution execute a data export or deletion request (for example, GDPR requests), any Study Guide content in your OneNote will be included just like other user-generated documents.
-
Content moderation and safety: All AI outputs from Copilot are run through Azure AI Content Safety filters to ensure they meet Microsoft’s standards for safe and classroom-appropriate content. The Study Guide is focused on your educational material and will refuse or sanitize any inappropriate requests or results.
-
Use AI literacy guidance: Materials linked from https://aka.ms/AILiteracy can be used by educators, students/learners and institution leaders to use AI effectively and responsibly.
-
Age-appropriate design: The Copilot Notebook Study Guide is available only to users aged 13 or older (and for K-12, typically in managed school tenant accounts). Microsoft’s identity system (Entra ID for organizations) enforces this by checking the age group associated with each user login. Those identified as minors under 13 are not granted access. Additionally, the AI-generated tone and content are crafted to be neutral and educational – the style avoids any overly informal, emotional, or inappropriate commentary, focusing instead on factual and explanatory text suitable for a school setting. This ensures the Study Guide can be safely used in classrooms and by teenage learners without exposing them to content beyond their maturity level.
-
Transparency and user control: We want you to understand and direct how the AI is assisting you. All Study Guide pages are clearly marked as AI-generated (you’ll see a Copilot icon or note on the page) so you know which content was made by Copilot. The presence of citations throughout the Topic Pages and Summaries is a form of transparency – it shows exactly where information came from and encourages you to verify it in context. You remain in control: you can edit or delete any part of the Study Guide, and you decide who to share it with. The system is designed not to replace human judgment; you should review what Copilot produces and feel free to adjust it to fit your needs. Microsoft has implemented numerous Responsible AI reviews (including a full Responsible AI Assessment) to refine the Study Guide’s behavior. Feedback mechanisms (like in-app feedback links or community forums) are available, and we welcome you to provide feedback on any aspect of the content quality. This iterative improvement ensures the tool remains helpful, and accurate.
-
Focus on learning (not grading): The Study Guide is explicitly a tool for learning and will not assess or grade learners. Quiz results, flashcard usage, or any study activity is not used for evaluation – in fact, instructors have no visibility into a student’s Study Guide unless it’s shared. This privacy-by-design choice was made to encourage students to use the tool honestly for practice, without fear that their mistakes could impact their academic record. It also prevents any scenario where the AI could be seen as determining academic outcomes; all assessments in class remain under teacher control.
