There are already some chat applications with AI. How does u:ai differ from the other tools?
Fabian Jusufi: It starts with the login to the service: For Microsoft Copilot with full service, you need a Microsoft license, including a Microsoft account. u:ai, on the other hand, can be used simply with the u:account access details. You don’t have to order a software license or register.
August Szabo: The AI system behind u:ai is not only operated for the University of Vienna, but also for numerous other universities in Austria. These synergies make it more cost-effective for the University of Vienna to provide u:ai. In any case, costs are not an issue for our users now, as they are not passed on, but are covered centrally.
What does a request in u:ai cost?
Fabian Jusufi: That depends on the length of the request and also on the length of the answer. You have to expect about 0.01 to 0.20 euros. You are at the upper end of this range or above if you have longer texts analysed, such as a PDF with 15 pages or more. As I said, the costs are not passed on to the users at this time.
Why should u:ai be used instead of a freely available ChatGPT version?
August Szabo: Data protection is an especially important point. If you enter data in freely available ChatGPT versions, it can be used to train the AI. That’s why our data protection officer expressly advises against using these tools in a university context. In contrast, the data entered in u:ai is not used for training purposes, which is why u:ai has been approved for use by the data protection officer.
How can u:ai support users in their daily work?
Fabian Jusufi: u:ai is excellent for anyone who works with text and can also help with text creation. For example, if you need to write an e-mail in English, you can first formulate it in German and then have it translated. But you can also have texts analysed, structured or optimised. u:ai can also be very helpful for programming or mathematical calculations. In the IT world Artificial intelligence or on the u:ai service page, we have collected examples of how u:ai can be used.
August Szabo: But it’s important not to rely on u:ai blindly. As with other AI chat applications, u:ai’s answers may contain errors or made-up content. This is also called hallucinating. We therefore recommend always checking answers with other sources. Another important piece of information: u:ai has not been trained with data from the University of Vienna. If you ask it a question specifically about the university, it may give the wrong answer instead of admitting it doesn’t know the answer. So it’s better to look up such information directly on the University of Vienna’s web pages.
Are there tutorials for u:ai?
August Szabo: Yes, there is a new webinar in German to accompany the launch of the service: Erste Schritte in u:ai. Participants will learn how to use u:ai and what they should be aware of when doing so. You can find all the information in u:rise, where you can also register for the webinar. The intranet also offers an overview of all other training opportunities related to AI at the university, as well as a page with prompting tips.
Fabian Jusufi: I recommend just trying u:ai – learning by doing, so to speak. Getting started with the u:account is very easy and the interface is self-explanatory. And if the next tutorial is too far away, you can also ask u:ai for advice ;).
What is the long-term outlook for u:ai? Can users expect more features in the future?
August Szabo: We want to gain experience with the tool and also see how intensively it is used. We will plan future service extensions on this basis.
Fabian Jusufi: The first fixed stage of expansion is that you will be able to add your own documents to the u:ai knowledge base in the future. You will then be able to upload several documents and, if you wish, also allow other users to access these documents with u:ai. Two additional features are also planned for the chat application: it will be possible to conduct several chats simultaneously in u:ai. In addition, users will be able to decide for themselves whether they want to save chat data for future sessions. Currently, u:ai only stores data from the current session.
More information: AI software – u:ai
