Social Media AI Guidelines

Updated October 2025

What is AI?

Artificial intelligence (AI) comprises technologies that enable computers to perform complex tasks typically done by humans, such as learning, problem-solving, decision-making, creativity, and autonomy.

AI and Social Media

With the rapid growth of AI, social media is heavily influenced by this technology. AI is a powerful tool that, when used responsibly, can enhance social media content and strategy.

These Social Media AI Guidelines supplement ECU’s Social Media Guidelines and apply to all official social media accounts representing ECU and/or one of its schools, colleges, divisions, departments, or programs.

Administrators of university-affiliated social media accounts are responsible for complying with these Guidelines and all applicable ECU policies and regulations, including but not limited to,  ECU’s Regulation for the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Systems with Institutional Data.

Using AI in Social Media

Text Generation and Brainstorming

  • Writing text that engages your audience, meets accessibility requirements, and aligns with university guidelines is essential for creating a consistent and professional social media presence.
  • By crafting a simple prompt, AI can generate captions, offer recommendations, and customize content for various platforms.

 DO:

  • Utilize AI to tailor captions for various social media platforms (e.g., Instagram vs. LinkedIn).
  • Utilize AI to generate recommendations for your current caption and suggest ways to improve it.
  • Use AI as a framework and to generate caption ideas for your content.
  • Use AI as a tool to support human creativity.
  • Use AI to answer questions about AP style (the official editorial style for ECU). However, AI may not have the most recent AP style guidance.

    DON’T:

    • Do not use the entire text created by AI. The majority of text should be written by a human (aim for 65% of all written content being created by a human author).
    • Do not rely on AI to obtain information. You should independently verify all facts and information.

    • Do not use AI to plagiarize or mimic copyrighted material.

    Alternative (ALT) Text

    • ALT text provides a concise description of images and graphics, playing a crucial role in content accessibility. When adding an image to your social media post, always include ALT text to ensure accessibility for all users.
    • The use of AI can assist in creating ALT text. The university’s current social media management system, Sprout Social, features an AI tool for generating ALT text. Other social media management systems may also include an AI ALT text feature.
    • When using AI to create ALT text, always double-check what the AI platform has generated. It may contain errors or need additional context.

    Closed Captions

    • Closed captioning displays the audio portion of a video as text on a digital screen. With the use of AI, creating closed captions is now easier than ever to produce.
    • Many social media apps have integrated a closed captions feature powered by AI, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Video editing apps like Adobe Premiere Pro, CapCut, and Edits by Meta also include a closed captions feature powered by AI.
    • Always review the closed captions produced by AI. It may contain grammar and spelling errors. AI may also fail to transcribe an individual’s voice accurately.

      Creative and Visual

      • The use of AI-generated images, video, audio, music and voiceovers is prohibited without prior consultation and written approval from the university social media team.

        • The legality of AI-generated visuals and audio is being reviewed in both U.S. federal and international courts. AI-generated visuals and audio have been subject to copying an artist’s work and violating copyright laws.

      • Select verified AI-generated social media trends may be approved. You are required to contact and obtain written approval from the university social media team before posting an AI-generated social media trend.
        • If the university social media team approves the AI-generated content, you must:
          • Explicitly state in the caption, “The content within this post was made by artificial intelligence (AI).”
          • Select the AI-generated content label when posting to Facebook, Instagram and Threads.
          • Include the “Made with AI” label in the visual. You can download the label here.
      • The utilization of OpenAI’s Sora for content creation on behalf of the university is strictly prohibited.

      Submitting Data to AI

      Recommended AI Platforms

      • AI continues to grow at a rapid pace, with the development and enhancement of new AI platforms daily. The university social media team has curated a list of recommended AI platforms individuals may use. The use of other AI platforms may result in suspicious and outdated content. Regardless of the AI platform, individuals must follow the university’s Institutional Data and AI Guidance for the latest guidance on the use of AI platforms.
      • As with all AI platforms, users should always verify the content produced. For questions about whether an AI platform is acceptable, please contact the university’s social media team.
      • Approved AI platforms may only be used to process Level 1 (public) institutional data.
        • ChatGPT
          • Developed by OpenAI as a conversational AI that produces human-like language to carry out writing, idea generation, and answering questions.
        • Google Gemini
          • Developed by Google, Gemini is a conversational AI designed for reasoning, multimodal understanding, and integration across Google’s ecosystem.
        • Microsoft Copilot
          • Developed by Microsoft and in partnership with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Copilot is an integrated AI assistant contained within Microsoft 365 applications to help users draft content, summarize text, and automate processes.
        • Meta AI
          • Developed by Meta as an artificial intelligence tool designed to enhance user experiences across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp with intelligent features and generative abilities.
        • Apple Intelligence
          • Developed by Apple as a personalized AI system to enhance iPhone, iPad, and Mac experiences with privacy-focused, on-device intelligence and Siri integration. Some features are not currently available, while select features rely on OpenAI’s ChatGPT service.
      • The use of AI-generated images, video, audio, music and voiceovers is prohibited without prior consultation and written approval from the university social media team.