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The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) offers a range of AI and Gen AI tools to support academic and administrative tasks. Here is an overview of the available tools, their accessibility and other key details.
- AI: Artificial Intelligence
- CUI/CDI: Controlled Unclassified Information/Controlled Defense Information
- FERPA: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
- Gen AI: Generative Artificial Intelligence
- ML: Machine Learning
- PII: Personally Identifiable Information
- PHI: Protected Health Information
- UTD BP3096: University of Texas at Dallas Policy on data classification and security measures
CometAI, is a secure, campus-focused generative AI system that brings the power of artificial intelligence (AI) directly to faculty and staff. CometAI advances UTD’s mission to embrace emerging technologies and prepare the campus community for the future.
Key Details
With a flexible, cost-effective, chat-based interface, Comet AI enables you to:
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Secure Conversational AI Access: Engage with around 20+ advanced AI models in a secure environment.
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Response Customization: Fine-tune and share responses tailored to specific needs and audiences.
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Document Interaction: Work with uploaded documents and generate polished, professional Word files.
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AI Agent Creation and Sharing: Create, personalize, and distribute AI agents for diverse use cases.
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Prompt and Instruction Design: Build prompt templates, custom instructions, and manage follow-up agents and artifacts on the go.
It’s architecture ensures vendor independence, allowing seamless access to multiple AI models - such as Claude, Meta, Mistral, Grok, NVIDIA, Gemini, & OpenAI - without being locked into a single provider. To know the current list of AI models available through CometAI please check out: Models in CometAI.
UTD OIT provides enterprise-grade cloud AI services through Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS) including features like:
- Generative AI: Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI Service, AWS Bedrock, AWS Q
- Machine Learning: Azure Machine Learning, AWS SageMaker Unified Studio
- Data Security: AWS Macie, AWS A2I
- Text/Image Analysis: Microsoft Azure AI Document Intelligence, AWS Textract, Azure AI Vision, AWS Rekognition
- Language Services: Azure AI Language, Azure AI Translator, AWS Comprehend, AWS Translate
- Chatbots: Azure OpenAI Service, Azure AI Foundry, Microsoft Copilot Studio
UTD OIT has access to Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and it can be requested via Cloud Hosting
Important: Access to these services requires approval via institutional Azure or AWS accounts. You can request for access to these services
Request Cloud Hosting Form
Adobe Firefly is a generative AI tool available through Adobe Creative Cloud, offering features like:
- Text-to-image generation
- Visual effects creation
- Design customization
Key Details
Students can access Adobe Firefly and other Creative Cloud services using their UTD email on personal devices. However, specialized Adobe apps like Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, After Effects, Audition, and Dreamweaver are only available on campus computer labs.
Grammarly is a writing assistance tool that helps users improve their writing by providing real-time grammar, spelling, and punctuation suggestions. Key features include:
- Grammar and Spelling Checks: Identifies and corrects grammatical errors and typos.
- Style and Tone Suggestions: Offers advice on writing style and tone to match the intended audience.
- Plagiarism Detection: Checks for potential plagiarism by comparing text against a vast database.
- Personalized Insights: Provides tailored feedback based on individual writing habits and goals.
- Integration: Works across various platforms, including web browsers, Microsoft Office, and mobile apps.
Important: Access to Grammarly Premium is currently available for current JSOM students, staff, and faculty only at UTD.
An AI-powered career preparation platform for UTD students, featuring:
- Resume analysis and optimization.
- LinkedIn profile feedback aligned with industry’s best practices.
- Mock interview simulations with real-time AI feedback
- ADA-compliant interface with screen reader support
Key Details
- Access: Students sign in with UTD credentials via the Quinncia Dashboard
- Data Privacy:
- Only UTD career advisors/instructors can view student analyses after sharing.
- Student accounts are archived 6 months post-graduation.
More information on Quinncia can be found Quinncia - Resume AI Assistant tool.
MS Copilot Chat is an enterprise AI assistant for secure research and productivity tasks, offering features including:
- Natural language queries with Bing search integration
- Enterprise-grade data protection via UT Dallas authentication
- Compatibility with Windows/Mac OS through Microsoft Edge
Key Details
- Access: Available to all faculty, staff, and students via UT Dallas credentials.
- Security: Ensure the “Protected badge” (green shield icon) is visible during use.
- Data Retention: Copilot interactions are not stored in Microsoft’s cloud, ensuring no institutional data retention risks.
Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI assistant integrated with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. It offers features such as:
- Document and email drafting.
- Meeting summaries
- Data analysis assistance
- Using Copilot across M365 Ecosystem
Important: Currently, M365 Copilot is under testing with the AI champions program, which is a pilot program that makes this available for folks to be able to use some of these new AI technologies and provide feedback.
Third-party AI chatbots like Otter.AI and Read.AI are not officially supported or approved for use at UTD due to security risks. The university recommends using Microsoft Teams for meeting recordings and transcriptions.
The above tools are categorized as following:
|
Tool/Category
|
Audience
|
Use Category
|
| CometAI |
Faculty, Staff and Student Employees (Approved) |
Generative AI Platform |
|
Cloud AI Services like AWS, Azure, GCP
|
Faculty/Staff/Researchers (Approved)
|
Cloud Deployment solutions
|
|
Adobe Firefly
|
Students
|
Image generation
|
|
Grammarly
|
JSOM Students and Faculty
|
Text correction and summarization
|
|
Microsoft Copilot Chat
|
All Faculty/Staff/Students
|
Text and image generation
|
|
Microsoft 365 Copilot
|
Pilot Group
|
Text and image generation
|
|
Quinncia
|
Students
|
Resume editing and mock interviews
|
- Follow UTD's for securely handling University-sensitive, student, and personal data in these AI tools. For any questions regarding the level of data to be entered in these tools, please create a ticket:
- Avoid using unapproved Third-party AI Chatbots like Otter.AI for sensitive data. Info on Third-party AI Chatbots
- Use institutional accounts for cloud AI services to ensure compliance.
- Review UTD's Gen AI Policies and Guidelines for proper data handling.
- Review ISO's AI Usage Guidelines for proper AI usage
- Store University Data on UTD Information Systems rather than personal devices when possible.
- Encrypt Confidential Data during transmission over unsecured networks and when stored on local devices.
By following these guidelines, the UTD community can leverage AI tools effectively while maintaining data security standards.