Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Bryant University Launches Gen AI Chatbot for Community Engagement

Students, faculty, and staff at Bryant University have a new resource for accessing information, receiving guidance, and keeping up with campus events. The institution recently launched a generative AI chatbot developed in partnership with AI and intelligent automation solution provider alliantdigital.

Named AskTupper after the school mascot, the chatbot was designed from the ground up to provide a variety of services for the entire campus community, including incoming first-year students. Features include:

  • 24/7 support, providing real-time answers to questions about university policies, resources, and events;
  • Dynamic updates to campus information, from lunch menus to sports scores; and
  • Campus navigation, to help users locate facilities, offices, and upcoming events.

"In higher education, 25% of the student community is new every year so we literally answer the same questions over and over, year after year. AskTupper will be able to handle most of these questions 24/7/365," commented Bryant CIO Chuck LoCurto. "Beyond AskTupper, we're encouraging our entire community to use AI ethically and responsibly to assist them with their work."

Nearly 100 students, faculty, and staff tested the chatbot and provided feedback during its development. In addition, an annual university "Prompt-A-Thon" encourages students to experiment with chatbot designs to better serve the campus community. The inaugural event "gave valuable guidance for the usage of AI, as well as a launching off point for the next round of gen AI innovations from Bryant," the university reported in a news announcement. Bryant is also working with alliantdigital to develop and test more advanced features for the bot.

"At Bryant, we are committed to leverage AI tools and technology in our teaching, research and operations to enhance student learning and experiences," said Rupendra Paliwal, provost and chief academic officer at the university. "This partnership provides an opportunity for additional experimentation with AI by faculty and staff."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • abstract quantum computing glowing circuits

    Nvidia Unveils 'Ising' Quantum AI Model

    Nvidia has announced a new family of open source AI models, dubbed "Ising," designed to accelerate quantum computing by improving calibration and error correction.

  • Dana Brunson facilitates a roundtable discussion with research and higher education IT leaders

    Internet2: Closing the Access Gap for Research Cyberinfrastructure

    Internet2's Research Engagement Team brings CIOs and other campus technology leadership together with research computing and data facilitators, forming a community that enables research cyberinfrastructure at institutions of all types and sizes.

  • Digital cyberspace with particles and Digital data

    Report: AI Is Moving Faster than Data Trust

    AI agents are already in use or pilot at most organizations, but data visibility, governance and precision recovery capabilities have not kept pace, according to Veeam's new Data & AI Trust Gap report.

  • Abstract futuristic digital network with glowing padlock icons

    Microsoft Intros New Agentic AI Security Multi-Model Defense System

    A new multi-model agentic AI security system built by Microsoft's Autonomous Code Security team helped researchers find 16 new vulnerabilities across the Windows networking and authentication stack, the company anounced in a recent security blog post.