AI Buddy and Networked Data

When should I start preparing for my exams?  Where do I still have gaps in my knowledge, and how can I fill them?  Which courses are best suited to my interests?

University students face a multitude of questions, both big and small, right from the start of their studies. Good advice is crucial when answering these questions. In addition to getting advice from their instructors, friends and academic advisors, students at UZH will soon also be able to draw on artificial intelligence (if they so wish). 

In the future, an AI Buddy app will be made available to students that can support them as they navigate life at university. A prototype is expected to be available by end of 2025, after which it will be gradually expanded.

The AI Buddy for students is one of  seven focus areas UZH has set in its 2023 digital strategy. Developed with the involvement of UZH staff and students, the strategy outlines the goals that UZH wants to work towards over the next few years. It also defines the conditions under which the transformation process is to take place. According to the strategy, an active UZH community shaping the digital future (minds), networked databases (data fabrics) and digital platforms (platforms) are key building blocks.

UZH is already a leading institution in digital transformation in research and teaching, with a wide range of digital skills and broad expertise among its members.  The UZH digital strategy aims to further bolster these skills while coordinating and accelerating the use of digital technologies in research, teaching and university services.

Last April, the Executive Board of the University approved the 2024 Digital Charter, which sets priorities in implementing the digital strategy. The charter was developed by the UZH Digital Strategy Board (see box).

“We first looked outwards and analyzed the general trends in digitalization,” says Harald Gall, Chair of the Digital Strategy Board. Their analysis revealed that three trends are particularly important for UZH: the use and development of AI technologies, secure computing and datafication (i.e. processing, modelization and secure use of big data).

Based on this analysis, the board identified seven focus areas that UZH is to pursue as a matter of priority:

• Building the profile of AI and data sciences in research and teaching
• Developing an AI-based companion app for students (AI Buddy)
• Improving the quality and management of personal, organizational and financial data
• Piloting a UZH-internal large language model (UZH Copilot)
• Providing a first-class computing environment for researchers and teaching staff (next generation computing)
• Implementing digital management support (dashboard and end-to-end processes)
• Establishing a think tank on the digital future of the university

These seven focus areas complement six strategically important digitalization projects that are already in the works at UZH:

• Intranet platform for employees
• Student portal and student lifecycle management
• Digital end-to-end HR processes (part of the HREvolution project)
• Digital infrastructure for teaching and exams
• UZH secure data repository
• Digital communities

UZH has adopted a holistic approach in its digital strategy that focuses on research, teaching and university services at the same time. For more details on the topic, please read the interview with Harald Gall, Claudia Witt and Lena Jäger.