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Data Handling FAQ for AI in Showbie
Data Handling FAQ for AI in Showbie

Everything you need to know about secure data handling in Showbie's AI feature

Brinna Smith avatar
Written by Brinna Smith
Updated over 3 months ago

We're excited to begin including generative AI features in Showbie! Given the power and rapid development of this technology, we understand that you may have questions regarding how your data is handled when interacting with AI tools. Explore our resources below to learn how we keep your data safe while embracing these innovative features!

Data Security and Regulations

How safe is using AI in Showbie?

Our AI sub-processor, OpenAI, is held to the same high data privacy and security standards as all other sub-processors. They are GDPR compliant and are certified with leading industry privacy and security standards including ISO27001, SOC 2 and SOC 3. Find OpenAI’s Privacy Policy here, and their Security Portal here for more information.

What data does the AI Feedback Assistant process?

The generate contextual and constructive feedback suggestions for teachers to share with students, our AI Feedback Assistant will include the following data points in your prompt:

  • Class name, subject and year group

  • Assignment name and description

  • Initial written feedback from teacher

  • Grade provided for the assignment

Any data points that have not been provided will not be included (such as a class that does not have a year group identified). No PII (personally identified information) from either the teacher or the student account is provided to OpenAI. The only exception is if a teacher were to include PII in their initial written feedback, which we advise against.

What happens to the data included in my prompts?

Data input into our AI feature as prompts will be stored by OpenAI for a maximum of 30 days in order to monitor for abusive language before being fully deleted. As per the terms of our subscription agreement with OpenAI, data provided to OpenAI by Showbie in the form of a prompt is not used for further training of the OpenAI model and is not retained or used by OpenAI beyond the standard 30 days of content monitoring noted above.

Many governments are already imposing restrictions on the use of AI in education, in particular for use in grading student work. Will Showbie's AI feature violate those restrictions?

No, Showbie's AI feature is not viewing student work or providing grades. Instead, the feature will use brief feedback already provided by the teacher, as well as optional contextual information about the class and assignment, as a prompt to generate more rich and personalized feedback for the student with a focus on specific next steps.

Is Showbie compliant with the EU AI Act?

Yes. While AI systems deployed within the education field are considered high-risk, Showbie's use of AI is limited to the following acceptable intended use:

  • Making improvements to the results of previously completed human activities

Showbie is compliant with Chapters I and II of the EU AI Act which will be enforced as of February 2nd, 2025.

Using the Feature

Do I have to use Showbie's AI feature?

No. We plan to support a continuous opt-out option for the use of AI, meaning that you or your school/district can select to turn off access to AI features if you don't wish to use them. Additionally, the AI feature will be included in Pro subscriptions so access will be limited to only Pro teachers, and there are no limitations in your use of Showbie if you choose not to engage the AI feature.

That being said, we have taken the opportunity while developing our AI feature to further develop our Gradebook feature, as well as to add optional contextual information to classes and assignments. These updates to the Gradebook and class and assignment info are available to all users and will improve your experience when grading student work or providing formal feedback whether you include use of the AI feature or not.

What if the AI-generated content is inaccurate or inappropriate?

We recognize that inaccuracies and biases still exist within the capabilities of generative AI and the content it's trained on, which is why our AI-generated feedback will require review by the teacher before being approved for use with students. Additionally, we encourage users to flag AI-generated content that is inaccurate or inappropriate so that we can work to improve future results.

Are there limits to what I can use as a prompt or ask the AI features to do?

While there are no technical limitations in place, you are discouraged from including personal data (such as names, email addresses, birthdays, etc.) in the feedback that will be used within your prompts, as well as abusive or derogatory language or profanities. OpenAI will monitor prompt inputs for abusive language for up to 30 days after the prompts are received.

Impact to Students

Will students have access to AI in Showbie?

No, our AI feedback feature is solely teacher-facing and will not be visible to students. The extent to which students will experience our AI features is that AI-generated content will be visible to students following review and approval by their teacher.

Will any student data be shared to our sub-processor, OpenAI?

No, there will be no student data shared with OpenAI by our AI feedback feature. The content generated by our feedback feature will also require review and approval by the teacher before becoming visible to student users, with options to edit or discard the AI-generated content. As with all of our sub-processors, only the limited, necessary data required to provide the feature will be collected and shared to OpenAI.

How will the student feedback being generated be personalized if student data isn't visible to OpenAI?

The AI Feedback feature relies on initial feedback provided by the teacher, in combination with class and assignment description information, to generate a prompt for the AI tool to analyze. Internally, our AI Feedback tool is designed to focus on grade-appropriate suggestions to improve the feedback provided by the teacher, as well as incorporate suggestions of next steps for the student. The associated student account and student submissions will not be included in the prompt or visible to the AI tool, which is why we have decide to offer the opportunity to provide further description information about classes and assignments to help ensure feedback is contextually appropriate. Placeholder text is used where needed to allow the teacher to provide further details, personalized to the student.

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