Version: 2.5

Last Updated: 01/22/2026

Effective Date: 01/22/2026

These Terms of Use (the Terms) govern your access to and use of the AI Course Companion (“the Chatbot” or “the service” or “AICC”) made available to support students enrolled in USF’s courses. By accessing or using the Chatbot, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

⚠️ Disclaimer
The AI Course Companion is an educational tool based on large language model (LLM) technology. It is provided “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE.” This technology may produce incorrect, incomplete, misleading, or entirely fabricated information (“hallucinations”). Use of the Service is entirely optional.

• No Reliance: You must not rely on AI-generated responses as authoritative, accurate, or complete.
• No Certification Guarantee: The Service does not guarantee compliance with accreditation, licensure, or certification requirements.
• Educational Supplement Only: This Service does not replace lectures, course readings, assignments, or direct guidance from instructors or teaching assistants; nor is it a substitute for professional advice (including legal, medical, mental health, or financial advice).
• Emergencies: Do not use the Chatbot for emergencies. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911. For urgent mental health support, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (call/text 988 in the U.S.) or the campus emergency resources at (813) 974-2831.

The Service is operated by its creators and developers (the “Provider”). The Service is offered for educational purposes only. References to “Provider,” “we,” or “us” in these Terms refer solely to the Service’s creators and authorized collaborators. The Provider disclaims all warranties and liability, to the fullest extent permitted by law, for any reliance on AI-generated responses. By using this Service, you accept full responsibility for verifying all AI-generated information.

1. Eligibility and Acceptable Use
By clicking “Accept Terms,” accessing, or using the Service, you consent to, and agree to be bound by, these Terms. If you do not agree, you may not use the Service.

If you are under the age of 18, you must have verifiable parental or guardian consent to use this Service.

You agree to:

• Use the Service only for educational purposes.
• Not use it to cheat, plagiarize, or violate academic integrity policies, including requesting or using responses to complete graded work in violation of course rules.
• Not Submit content that is unlawful, threatening, harassing, defamatory, obscene, or otherwise inappropriate.
• Not attempt to disrupt, probe, overload, manipulate, bypass, evade, or “trick” the Chatbot or its safeguards. This includes, without limitation, attempting to prompt the chatbot into generating content that is harmful, hateful, abusive, discriminatory, deceptive, defamatory, harassing, unlawful, or otherwise violates these Terms or applicable law.
• Not use the Chatbot to access or request personal information about others.
• Not provide the Chatbot with sensitive personal information as defined below.
• Verify all responses against course materials, textbooks, or instructor guidance.
• Assume full responsibility for any academic or disciplinary consequences.

The Provider is not responsible for monitoring or enforcing academic integrity policies.

2. Description of Service
The AICC is a supplementary tool for course-related practice and study support, including:

• Practice Question Generator – Generates practice questions based on general topics, publicly available materials, and instructor-provided samples (when available).
• Question Answering – Uses instructor-uploaded materials (when available) and general AI knowledge.
• Lecture Slide/Note Explanations – Explains uploaded lecture slides and notes, with limitations in accuracy.

Critical Limitations

• The AI does not access exam questions, assignments, or proprietary course content unless uploaded by instructors.
• Responses may misalign with course methodology, difficulty, or expectations.
• Information may contradict instructor teachings.
• Explanations of slides/notes may misinterpret diagrams, visuals, or emphasis.

3. User Content and Responsibility
You are solely responsible for your User Content (information you type, upload, or otherwise provide to the Chatbot), including ensuring you have the right to provide it. In addition to the prohibited content described in the disclaimer, do not submit:

• Exam questions, answer keys, or restricted course materials unless your instructor explicitly permits.
• Copyrighted materials you do not have permission to share.
• Other people’s personal information (see details below).

You grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, host, store, reproduce, and process your User Content solely to:

• Provide and maintain the Chatbot;
• Improve and evaluate performance and safety (including moderation and misuse prevention);
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce these Terms.

4. Privacy and Data Collection
We collect data including:

• User-submitted questions
• AI-generated responses
• Usage frequency and technical metrics

The data is anonymized so that it could not be linked to individual students. The Chatbot is intended to be used without providing personal information.

Do not provide:

• Names, addresses, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, passport numbers, biometric identifiers and any information that could be used to identify you or others;
• Financial account or payment information;
• Health or medical information (including disability accommodation information);
• Precise geolocation data;
• Passwords or login credentials;
• Student ID numbers, grades, or other education record information.

We retain anonymized interaction data only as reasonably necessary for: Operating and improving the Chatbot; Security and abuse prevention; Compliance with law and Institution policy.

Third-Party Providers
The Service may use third-party providers such as OpenAI, Google Cloud, AWS, Microsoft Azure, and analytics services. Each has independent privacy policies beyond our control. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with any such third-party privacy policies.

5. Disclosures

• Usage of The Chatbot may be monitored for security, policy compliance, consistent with applicable law and institutional policy.
• Access to the Chatbot may be suspended or terminated if there is reason to believe that these Terms or applicable policies were violated by the user.
• The use of the Chatbot may be modified, suspended, or discontinued at any time.
• Features may change, including availability during certain hours or during examinations.
• These Terms may be updated from time to time. Continued use after changes become effective constitutes acceptance.

6. Limitation of Liability
THE CHATBOT IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE." TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE PROVIDERS (AND ALL AFFILIATED PARTIES) DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

PROVIDERS ALSO DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE CHATBOT WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE, OR THAT OUTPUT WILL BE ACCURATE OR COMPLETE.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL THE PROVIDERS (NOR ANY AFFILIATED PARTY) BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, PROFITS, REVENUE, OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THE USE OF (OR INABILITY TO USE) THE CHATBOT OR ANY OUTPUT.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, PROVIDER’S (AND ALL AFFILIATED PARTIES’) TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE CHATBOT WILL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS (USD $100).

7. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. To the extent permitted by law, any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Chatbot will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Florida, and you consent to personal jurisdiction there.

Contact Information
If you have questions, contact Oguzhan Topsakal at topsakal@usf.edu.