U of A to expand free AI tools for campus community

The University of Arizona is teaming up with Amazon Web Services, or AWS, to bring artificial intelligence tools to all members of the U of A community. 

The new AI-powered U of A platform, built on Amazon Bedrock, will expand the university’s existing free and secure access to Amazon Web Services, or AWS, technology, as AI is increasingly needed for leading academic research, education and the day-to-day operations of the university.

“Similar to the digital transformation, AI is changing how we live, learn and innovate,” said David Ebert, the university’s chief AI and data science officer and head of its Office of Responsible Artificial Intelligence, or ORAI. “The University of Arizona is committed to being a leading institution in harnessing AI responsibly for all of our missions.”

Ebert is one of the few chief AI officers in higher education nationwide, leading the university’s strategy for integrating artificial intelligence tools across various functions at the U of A. ORAI coordinates these university-wide efforts and manages the U of A AI Platform.

By the end of 2026, the platform will provide free access to five AI tools tailored to the University of Arizona, Ebert said. The university already offers several free AI tools to its employees and students through University Information and Technology Services: Zoom AI Companion, Microsoft Copilot, Adobe Firefly & Creative Cloud, Google Notebook LM and Google Gemini Chat. 

These and the forthcoming tools on the U of A AI Platform “aren’t here to replace human judgment, expertise or decision-making,” Ebert said. “They’re to help us explore ideas faster, iterate more freely and offload the kinds of routine, time-intensive tasks that slow down effective thinking. AI tools can assist, but the responsibility for accuracy, interpretation and ethical use still firmly rests with the human.”

Expanding the university's AI toolkit

Several thousand members of the campus community are already piloting the first AI Platform tool, U of A Gen AI, which allows users to choose from five commercially available large language models: Claude, OpenAI, Gemma, Meta Llama and Amazon Nova. That tool is expected to roll out to all of campus by the end of March.

“We’re always eager to see innovation at the University of Arizona, and this new platform is another example of how responsible and ethical AI can be leveraged to benefit students, faculty and staff,” said Mark Ronaldson, director of U.S. Education and State and Local Government at AWS.

The platform’s launch comes after ORAI surveyed staff, faculty and students in 2025 to better understand how AI tools are currently used on campus and where additional support is desired. ORAI also hosted three town halls to gather broader input from the university community. Together, those efforts identified three priorities: universal access to high-quality AI tools; clear guidance for responsible, effective and ethical use; and strong protections for privacy and data security.

“Now that most people who can afford licenses to consumer AI tools are using them at school, we have a situation where those who can’t afford them are at a disadvantage,” said Angela Cruze, ORAI senior director. “This platform levels the playing field.”

Scalable and secure infrastructure

Building the platform on AWS allows the university to use existing optimized commercial cloud infrastructure rather than building and maintaining its own large-scale computing systems, which would require disproportionate upfront investment, ongoing technical support and increased energy use, said Wolfgang Jentner, lead AI research scientist with the ORAI team. The cloud-based approach also allows the university to update or replace AI models as technologies change. 

“This way, we’re not locked into ChatGPT or any single model,” he said. “The AWS approach allows us to offer choices and adapt as better tools emerge.”

The university has leveraged AWS’s secure cloud infrastructure since 2015 to host university systems and applications, strengthening security, reliability and resiliency. The U of A also has used AWS for cloud storage and archiving research data when appropriate, supporting research communities across campus. 

The university has extended this strategy since 2017 by using AWS GovCloud as its core infrastructure for regulated research environments, including those subject to International Traffic in Arms Regulations and Controlled Unclassified Information requirements.

Beyond the initial U of A tool, the platform will eventually include additional services designed to support teaching and learning, research and operations across campus. These include a public-facing campus chatbot that uses verified university information to answer questions about programs, services and resources; an Arizona AI assistant that will allow colleges, departments and offices to create custom chatbots that retrieve information only from approved institutional data sources; and AI sandboxes that provide controlled, secure environments where researchers, instructors and students can test and experiment with AI systems without exposing sensitive or restricted data.

The U of A AI Platform is designed to comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, the federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. To support capacity planning and cost management, the platform collects only aggregate usage metrics—such as overall system activity levels—rather than the content of individual interactions.

“The U of A AI Platform is, fundamentally, a toolkit equipping all Wildcats to succeed,” Ebert said.