The University of Pittsburgh is expanding student access to the generative artificial intelligence tool Claude for Education by becoming the first university to integrate its platform with Amazon Web Services (AWS). With AWS integration, Claude’s AI models can be leveraged not only for chat interfaces, but also for custom applications for education, research, and university operations.
Claude, a tool designed to support the creation, analysis, and work on long documents, joins other institution-approved tools available through Generative AI @ Pitt, a Pitt digital initiative that provides students, faculty, and staff with secure, vetted resources that support the responsible use of generative AI in teaching, learning, research, and administrative work.
“We are giving our community choices. This technology is changing rapidly, and students benefit from experience with a variety of tools,” said Mark Henderson, vice provost and chief information officer. “What’s consistent is our focus on strong privacy protections and tools that enhance rather than shorten learning, helping students think more critically, approach problems step-by-step, and build stronger analytical skills.”
Rather than requiring the use of a single platform, the University offers multiple options to give the Pitt community flexibility while ensuring consistent privacy and data protection. Each tool addresses different needs, and most approved tools are available to students, faculty, and staff.
- Claude for Education is an enterprise-grade option for ongoing use in research and professional environments, providing in-depth analysis, writing assistance, and support for working with long documents.
- Google Gemini is a versatile tool for brainstorming and generating creative ideas, with built-in educational images, videos, and interactive quizzes.
- Google NotebookLM acts as a research assistant that analyzes the documents you provide and provides citations.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat integrates web search with Microsoft tools to streamline your workflow.
- PittGPT is designed for sensitive data and enterprise systems and is currently available only to faculty and staff.
Some of these tools also include learning-focused features. Claude for Education and Google Gemini both offer a mode of using guided Socratic-style questioning to support active learning, rather than just providing answers.
“AI will not change learning by default; humans will change learning,” said Joe McCarthy, provost and senior vice provost. “As students and faculty experiment and combine traditional methods with generative techniques to determine when these tools achieve their goals as well as when they fail, AI can support more critical and reflective thinking. The promise and risk of these technologies lies in the implementation details and the contexts in which we teach and learn. Pitt has a clear advantage because we have the learning sciences and interdisciplinary expertise to guide responsible experimentation and ensure successful implementation.”
Students, faculty, and staff must follow the University’s Guidance on Acceptable Use of Generated AI Tools and only use University data with Pitt-approved AI tools. This also includes note takers on platforms like Teams and Zoom. When using AI in class, students must ensure that its use is in line with course policies regarding AI.
For more information, visit Generative AI @ Pitt.
