Research and Teaching Artificial intelligence (AI)
The URZ promotes and researches the use of AI (artificial intelligence) at Heidelberg University.
AI technologies can be used in various areas of the university and are constantly evolving at a rapid pace. Alongside the development, provision and operation of AI services for administration, research, teaching and studies, one of our core tasks includes research into new technologies and systems.
Generative AI tools
To ensure that staff, students and researchers have secure access to generative AI models and can integrate them constructively into their day-to-day work, the URZ develops and hosts its own AI infrastructure and utilises open-source products. Via the YoKI AI platform, university members can choose from a range of large language models.
In addition, staff can order a licence for the Mammouth AI platform, which provides access to leading commercial AI tools for text generation, programming, research, image generation and more.
The IT service chatbot, heiBOT-IT, is also based on open-source models and can be used for IT support enquiries.
Generative AI language models (Large Language Models – LLMs) are based on machine learning and can, for example, generate, summarise or translate large amounts of text in real time. Machine learning is a sub-field of artificial intelligence within computer science in which systems are trained to recognise patterns using large amounts of data.
Services
Training & Information
Projects
The use of AI systems at the university is being tested and consolidated across various projects and working groups. For example, URZ staff are testing the use of LLMs for specific areas of application, such as supporting the IT service through a chatbot in first-level support. This kind of specialisation, which is trained into the system in advance, is intended to enable other institutions to utilise AI-supported models for their own purposes in the future.
Further projects: