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Days after the deadly shooting at Michigan State University on Feb. 13, students at a university in Tennessee got an email of solidarity from their own administration.

"Let us come together as a community to reaffirm our commitment to caring for one another and promoting a culture of inclusivity on our campus," the email from the Peabody Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Vanderbilt University said. "By doing so, we can honor the victims of this tragedy and work towards a safer, more compassionate future for all."

On the surface it was a heartfelt, rallying email with a human element to help console students after a horrific crime.

But at the bottom of the email, in small text, there was a footnote: "Paraphrase from OpenAI's ChatGPT AI language model, personal communication, February 15, 2023."

The email, which was first shared with the public by the university's paper The Vanderbilt Hustler, sparked outrage among students.

"There is a sick and twisted irony to making a computer write your message about community and togetherness because you can't be bothered to reflect on it yourself," Laith Kayat, a senior at Vanderbilt who is from Michigan and whose sister goes to Michigan State University, told The Vanderbilt Hustler.

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence program that interacts with users, McClatchy News previously reported. Users can ask ChatGPT questions, tell it to write stories and more by typing instructions for the bot.

In seconds, the program will respond with a "human-like" style based on the massive amount of text it was trained on. In an interview with ChatGPT, the AI bot told McClatchy News that it intentionally sounded conversational to help connect with users.

In Vanderbilt's case, it was used to construct a mass message regarding the Michigan State University shooting — a decision that Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Nicole Joseph described as "poor judgment," The Vanderbilt Hustler reported.

After questions and backlash from the community, the Vanderbilt University's Peabody College of Education and Human Development released a statement apologizing for the email sent on Feb. 16.

"As dean of the college, I remain personally saddened by the loss of life and injuries at Michigan State, which I know have affected members of our own community," Dean Camilla P. Benbow said in the statement. "I am also deeply troubled that a communication from my administration so missed the crucial need for personal connection and empathy during a time of tragedy.

"I intend that we shall redouble our efforts to express the values that animate our mission and lead to human flourishing," she continued. "And I offer my heartfelt apologies to all those who deserved better from us and did not receive it."

The college is investigating the email and the breach of normal review before it was sent, according to the statement.

A gunman entered Michigan State University on Feb. 13 at night and shot and killed three students and injured five more, NPR reported. Police said the 43-year-old gunman fatally shot himself after the incident.

The three students killed in the shooting were identified as Brian Fraser, 20, Arielle Anderson, 19, and Alexandria Verner, 20, the Associated Press reported.

McClatchy News reached out to the Peabody Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for further comment and was directed to the public statement from Dean Camilla P. Benbow.