York University has released its own proprietary, in-house artificial intelligence (AI) platform, called YU AURA (Automated University Response Assistant), highlighting its ongoing leadership in socially responsible AI and innovation.
After months of development, beta testing, pilot programs and refinement, York launched YU AURA at the end of August at an event hosted at the Helliwell Centre in Osgoode Hall Law School attended by senior York leadership – including Amir Asif, vice-president, research and innovation, and Chloë Brushwood Rose, vice-provost, teaching and learning – as well as representatives from McMaster University, the University of Toronto and Queen’s University.
YU AURA is generative artificial intelligence – a type of AI that can create content – that was built to be a version of similar AI agents and platforms on the market, like ChatGPT. It offers greater accuracy, customizability and security, with less effort and cost than other comparable frameworks.
The technology was designed to offer a simple user experience with which community members can provide information to train the bot on their knowledge base. AURA will automatically, and within seconds, search through the knowledge base of information to complete the requested task. Among its uses, it will be able to help accelerate literature reviews for York researchers, provide email support to administrators, optimize procurement processes and more.
The engine that runs AURA can leverage the same foundational models that power many AI assistants available today, including ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini. As the platform runs within York’s information technology (IT) infrastructure, its cost efficiency is much greater than external counterparts. Responses to over 20,000 questions asked throughout the course of AURA’s testing period cost the University only $100 – a significant departure from the higher costs associated with use of external AI assistants or the current technology behind York’s student virtual assistant, SAVY.
In addition to cost efficiencies, AURA’s development team – comprised of Patrick Thibaudeau, director of IT innovation and academic technologies; Vidur Kalive, AI architect; and Isaac Kogan, a work-study student with the IT innovation team – identified the limitations of traditional generative AI and built mechanisms into the York platform to expand its ability while safeguarding users. Through these efforts, AURA is able to offer users a safer, more responsible and reliable AI experience than what’s currently available to the public.
“Socially responsible AI, security and accuracy lie at the heart of AURA’s mission,” said Brad Strom, chief information officer. “The technology prioritizes ownership and data privacy and is embedded with custom-built safeguards to protect against misinformation. It also operates within York’s own IT infrastructure, offering increased security control, and can be integrated with existing systems and websites to make daily work simpler and faster.”
The launch of AURA represents the latest in a series of technology and digital improvements and innovations led by the University Information Technology Department (UIT) to improve York’s capabilities and exponentially increase the value of one of the University’s greatest assets – its data.
“This marks an exciting milestone – one that has involved engagement and collaboration between many colleagues across the University, from different teams and with varying backgrounds and expertise,” said Carol McAulay, vice-president finance and administration, at the launch event. “It’s also a reflection of innovation and a desire to be better. Much of the original thinking about what is now AURA took place on weekends or in between meetings – musings by the innovation team in IT about a platform that could revolutionize the way we use and harness the power of our data at York.”
Several teams across the University can already attest to this fact. Prior to its pan-University launch, AURA has been piloted with a variety of projects and initiatives within Human Resources, Glendon recruitment, the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, and more. It has also undergone extensive testing to support course design in eClass with several functions, including producing class notes and reading selections, as well as a course assistant bot that provides instant support to students for common queries, such as course evaluations, location of their professor’s office, details about their assessments, academic integrity and more.
A website is currently in development to provide the York community with more information about generative AI use, including uses across teaching and learning and research and innovation.
Community members looking to leverage AURA for their own projects and initiatives can learn more on UIT’s AI web page and request access to the platform via the AURA request form.