Pilot Project: AI Teaching Assistant

In the autumn semester of 2026, the University of Zurich will launch the pilot phase of the AI Teaching Assistant as part of its Digitalization Strategy. The AI Teaching Assistant will be able to access course materials in OLAT and support students' independent learning by answering questions based on course content and explaining concepts. Our aim is to work closely with instructors to explore how AI can meaningfully complement university teaching and which requirements need to be met for long-term adoption.

The AI Teaching Assistant is being developed by askUZH, OLAT, AI Buddy, KlickerUZH, and the Educational Development Office. Together, we are pursuing a university-wide approach to establish a common foundation for AI applications at UZH. A central element of this approach is secure access to university data. Information from systems such as OLAT can be made available to AI applications without leaving the UZH infrastructure. This allows services such as the AI Teaching Assistant and askUZH to provide reliable answers based on trusted university knowledge.