George Mason University is leading statewide efforts in inclusive and responsible AI, using innovative, interdisciplinary approaches to harness AI’s potential while establishing strong ethical, regulatory, and social frameworks to guide its use.
An important step in this work is ensuring staff have equitable access to these advanced tools that can streamline routine tasks, enhance content creation, and improve overall efficiency. To support this effort, Information Technology Services (ITS) will upgrade all George Mason-managed Windows computers beginning Thursday, March 12, enabling access to Microsoft 365 AI capabilities (i.e., Copilot Chat) across Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other productivity tools.
Conducting the upgrade during Spring Break minimizes disruption while ensuring managed Windows users can benefit from the same AI-driven enhancements already available to managed Mac users. This upgrade will help create a more consistent and modern user experience across the university.
This initiative aligns directly with President Washington’s vision for George Mason to proactively leverage AI to manage workload more effectively and drive institutional operational efficiencies. Preparing our computing environment to support this direction is an essential step in advancing that priority.
ITS is well positioned to support this transition by offering on-demand guidance, training resources, and expert assistance through our Microsoft partnership to ensure a smooth and successful adoption of these new tools. If you have any questions about your George Mason-managed device or the upgrade, ITS Support is available 24/7 via 703-993-8870 or at https://its.gmu.edu/chat.
I am confident that having these tools at your fingertips will support a productive and successful remainder of spring 2026 and beyond.