Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

askUZH (formerly AI Buddy) is an AI-based chatbot that supports students with questions about their studies and everyday life at UZH. Its aim is to make UZH-specific information easier to access and to provide a central access point to information that is currently distributed across different websites, documents and systems. askUZH draws on information from public UZH websites as well as other documents and information sources made available to the chatbot.

All members of the UZH community have access to central and cross-faculty information, for example on libraries, ZORA, the course catalogue (VVZ), IT support and other central services.

For the Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics (WWF), the Faculty of Theology and the Study of Religion (TRF), and the Vetsuisse Faculty (VSF), faculty-specific information is also available. This allows students to ask questions about topics such as study organisation, regulations, deadlines and degree programmes.

For the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (PhF), the Faculty of Medicine (MeF), the Faculty of Science (MNF), and the Faculty of Law (RWF), faculty-specific information is not yet available. However, askUZH can still support students with questions on central and cross-faculty topics.

In the future, askUZH is intended to evolve into a central platform for AI-powered support at UZH, bringing together different AI applications and assistants for students, teaching and university services.

askUZH is available to all UZH students and staff. It provides access to central and cross-faculty UZH information, such as information on libraries, ZORA, course catalogues (VVZ) and IT support.

Faculty-specific information is currently available for the Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics (WWF), the Faculty of Theology and the Study of Religion (TRF), and the Vetsuisse Faculty (VSF). Students at these faculties can also ask askUZH questions about study organisation, regulations, deadlines and degree programmes.

We are gradually expanding askUZH to include faculty-specific information from other faculties. Until then, students from other faculties can still use askUZH for central and cross-faculty questions.

You can find the privacy policy and terms of use here.

If you already know askUZH, you can suggest new features and vote on them anonymously and without registration:Suggest and vote on new features 

Alternatively, you can send us your feedback via email.

The AI Teaching Assistant is a planned AI application within askUZH. It will be integrated directly into OLAT and can access course-specific teaching materials. This enables it to answer questions about a particular course, make course content more accessible, and support students in their independent learning.

The AI Teaching Assistant is currently under development and will be introduced gradually as part of askUZH. Lecturers interested in piloting the AI Teaching Assistant in their courses are warmly invited to get in touch. If you would like to participate in the pilot project, we would be happy to hear from you.

We believe that critically engaging with the use of generative AI in teaching is important, as most students already use generative AI in their studies and for learning. AI tools are used to clarify questions about courses, understand learning content, or work with course materials. Since external providers do not have direct access to the specific content of a UZH course, students often upload course materials to these services themselves. This means that teaching materials may be shared with external providers, where neither the university nor students have the same level of control or influence over how the content is processed and reused.

These aspects are particularly important for the UZH AI Teaching Assistant:

• Fair access: Not all students have paid AI subscriptions or the same opportunities to use powerful AI tools. A university-provided solution offers all students shared, free access to an AI assistant.
• Data protection and data sovereignty: Course materials should not be unnecessarily shared with external providers. With the AI Teaching Assistant, the course materials made available to the assistant are processed within the designated UZH infrastructure. This means that processing takes place under the conditions and requirements applicable to UZH, rather than requiring students to rely on arbitrary external services.
• Responsible use of generative AI: Rather than leaving the use of generative AI entirely to individual students, UZH wants to gain experience in how these technologies can be meaningfully and responsibly integrated into teaching. Open-source technologies may also play a role in this, helping to strengthen transparency and technological independence.
• Requested by students: In addition, many students would like AI and the opportunities it offers to be better integrated into their everyday studies.

The project started in 2025 under the name AI Buddy. In September 2025, the first version of the assistant was launched for the Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics (WWF). Since then, the service has been continuously developed and expanded to include additional faculties and areas of application.

Since September 2026, the assistant has been available to all UZH students and staff under the name askUZH. In addition to central and cross-faculty information, faculty-specific information is also available for selected faculties.

In the future, askUZH is intended to evolve into a central platform for AI-powered support at UZH, bringing together different AI applications and assistants for students, teaching and university services.

AI Buddy was the University of Zurich’s first AI assistant and was developed as a pilot project together with and for UZH students. As the project expands, askUZH is emerging as a shared platform for AI-powered services at UZH.

AI Buddy provides the foundation for askUZH. In the future, its existing features, together with additional AI applications, will gradually be brought together under the name askUZH.