As part of the broader WashU AI portal revamp initiative led by the Digital Intelligence & Innovation (DI2) Accelerator and the Office of the Provost, the page with information about tools has been redesigned and expanded to better serve the university community as the central destination for guidance on AI tools and infrastructure available at WashU.
As WashU’s AI ecosystem continues to grow, so does the need to make it easy for faculty, staff and students to find clear, current information about the AI tools and resources available to them.
“WashU IT and our distributed IT partners have already been directing university users to the WashU AI portal, but some important guidance was still maintained separately on WashU IT’s Generative AI webpages,” said Michelle Fuertes, Executive Director, IT Digital Transformation. “Rather than maintaining overlapping information in two places, we’ve strategically decided to consolidate it on the WashU AI portal. This creates a clearer experience for users and allows us to maintain and update the information in one place.”
The redesigned page is also better equipped to help members of the WashU community understand their options and quickly identify tools that may meet their needs.
A more detailed comparison table provides an at-a-glance view of AI tools available at WashU, including:
- Which tools are available at no additional cost and which require a paid license or subscription
- How to request access, with direct links to ServiceNow requests when applicable
- Whether a tool is approved for use with certain regulated data, including Protected Health Information (PHI) and FERPA-protected data
- Special features that help users compare available tools and identify options for their needs
The page also brings forward important information that previously lived primarily on WashU IT’s Generative AI pages, including guidance for responsible AI use, the Administrative AI intake form and information about additional AI tools available across WashU beyond the centrally supported enterprise AI tools.
“Together, these updates make it easier for faculty, staff and students to understand their options and make informed decisions about which AI tools to use,” said Fuertes, who was actively involved in the redesign. “For our IT teams, it also gives us a shared resource we can confidently point people to as tools and guidance continue to evolve.”
For WashU IT and distributed IT partners, the direction remains the same: continue directing users to the WashU AI portal for the most current information and guidance about AI tools available at the university.
“This approach provides a more sustainable way to keep pace with WashU’s evolving AI offerings while giving the university community a clear, consistent source for the information they need,” Fuertes said.