Welcome to the forefront of conversational AI as we explore the fascinating world of AI chatbots in our dedicated blog series. Discover the latest advancements, applications, and strategies that propel the evolution of chatbot technology. From enhancing customer interactions to streamlining business processes, these articles delve into the innovative ways artificial intelligence is shaping the landscape of automated conversational agents. Whether you’re a business owner, developer, or simply intrigued by the future of interactive technology, join us on this journey to unravel the transformative power and endless possibilities of AI chatbots.
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The LISA service department will facilitate the use of AI software, initially through a pilot for 250 UT employees. In the coming months, they will be able to work 'safely and responsibly' with Microsoft's Copilot365.
LISA first wants to have the security of data and other information fully in order, before the first UT employees will be allowed to ‘officially’ use a large language model that the UT itself facilitates, explains Chief Information Security Officer Henk Swaters. He expects the pilot to start later this month. ‘Many people were already using artificial intelligence. But not as a product that we facilitate ourselves.’
The choice initially falls on Microsoft’s Copilot365. This software is more advanced than the current free chat variant that employees already have available on their PCs. Not a simple AI chatbot, but software that is integrated with other apps and has extensive access to all kinds of (potentially sensitive) user data. ‘That is precisely why it is so important that we create the right preconditions for safe and responsible use,’ says Swaters.
Last year, SURF, the ICT cooperative of Dutch education and research institutions, warned of privacy risks when using Copilot. Despite improvements by provider Microsoft, the organisation still sees some privacy risks. No reason for the UT to keep the door shut, according to Swaters. ‘There is a thorough data protection assessment in place. In my role as Chief Information Security Officer, I also look very critically at all AI developments, because there are a lot of new vulnerabilities for our cyber security.’
Swaters points to the ‘great demand from the UT community’. ‘People see that developments are going fast. As a university, we cannot close ourselves off from that. That’s why we say as a service department: better to facilitate it safely and responsibly than to forbid people from using it.’
The choice for Copilot from the American Microsoft is not a definitive one, according to Swaters. ‘No, we have licenses for several providers and keep an eye on developments.’ For example, SURF is now committed to EduGenAI and Utrecht University today launched its own chatbot based on ChatGPT. According to Swaters, the UT first wants to gain experience with an existing platform. ‘Also in our case, inputs and prompts are not used to train the AI models.’
And then there is a proprietary AI model, developed by the Digital Society Institute and LISA. According to Swaters, this is not a realistic option for now. ‘The current environment has sufficient capacity for research purposes, but is too limited in terms of computing capacity to support a generative AI service for the entire university. Scaling up comes at a significant cost. That’s why we chose Microsoft’s software,’ says Swaters. ‘Given the arguments for digital sovereignty, it may not be the perfect choice, but we don’t want to fall behind.’
By the end of this year, the LISA service department hopes to have a good understanding of how UT staff use the AI tool and what the findings are.
De dienst LISA gaat het gebruik van AI-software faciliteren, in eerste instantie via een pilot voor 250 UT-medewerkers. Zij mogen de komende maanden ‘veilig en verantwoord’ aan de slag met Copilot365 van Microsoft.
The LISA service department will facilitate the use of AI software, initially through a pilot for 250 UT employees. In the coming months, they will be able to work 'safely and responsibly' with Microsoft's Copilot365.
To what extent are UT students using AI, and how are teachers dealing with this new reality? These questions lie at the heart of a dual survey that U-Today is conducting within the UT community, as part of an investigative journalism project.
In welke mate zetten UT-studenten AI in – en hoe gaan docenten om met deze nieuwe realiteit? Die vragen staan centraal in een dubbelenquête die U-Today houdt onder de UT-gemeenschap. Dat voor een onderzoeksjournalistieke productie.
Zo’n 1800 promovendi en hun promotoren krijgen vanaf januari met een nieuw volgsysteem te maken: Doctorate. LISA-directeur Mert Alberts en hoofd van de Twente Graduate School Ariana Need leggen uit waarom de UT afscheid neemt van Hora Finita.
Around 1,800 PhD candidates and their supervisors will be working with a new tracking system from January onwards: Doctorate. LISA director Mert Alberts and dean of the Twente Graduate School Ariana Need explain why UT is saying farewell to Hora Finita.
Universiteiten moeten minder afhankelijk zijn van technologiereuzen, de zogeheten ‘big tech’, zo klinkt het steeds luider. Volgens LISA-directeur Mert Alberts gaat de UT mee in die beweging, maar niet door het wiel zelf uit proberen te vinden. ‘We moeten de continuïteit van de UT waarborgen.’
Universities should reduce their dependence on tech giants, the so-called ‘big tech’ – that call is growing louder. According to LISA director Mert Alberts, UT is joining that movement, but not by reinventing the wheel. ‘We need to safeguard UT’s continuity.’
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The eighth edition of the 4TU Career Special is out! This week, twelve thousand copies will land on the doormats of an equal number of alumni from the four technical universities. A special feature of this publication is the COMMIT insert of the Materiel and IT Command of the Ministry of Defence.
You’ll also find stories about alumni and start-up entrepreneurs. The opening article focuses on the national alumni survey, and you can read tips and tricks on salary negotiations.
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