This article provides an overview of AI tools available to the Otis community, including institution-supported tools, administrative tools, and independently used platforms.

AI Tools Otis Provides (Directly or via Subscriptions)

The following tools are paid for by Otis or included within existing institutional subscriptions and are available for general community use:

Writing, Communication & Productivity

• Grammarly
  AI writing assistance, prompting, limited detection, and optional translation. This is the primary tool we point students to for writing assistance, as it has built-in controls to help prevent it from doing all the work for them.

• Copilot (Microsoft 365, powered by OpenAI, which also powers ChatGPT)
  AI is included with the Microsoft A3 subscription. Primarily provides access to the chat interface and can work with files and data provided, but can’t access data directly unless explicitly fed to it.

• Gemini (Google Workspace)
  AI is included with Google Workspace Fundamentals for Education. Embedded AI support for Docs, Slides, Gmail, and search within the Google ecosystem, including a chat interface.

Collaboration & Design Tools

• Zoom
  AI Companion is enabled only for Meeting Summaries at the account level; it's up to the user to determine its usage for their purpose.

• Canva
  Embedded AI for design support, image generation, and layout assistance.

• Webform Builder (Formstack)
  AI-assisted form creation and web form optimization.

• Adobe Firefly ( included with Adobe Creative Cloud)
  Firefly is accessible across various Adobe products and offers generative AI for images, editing, and media production.

Student Engagement & Support

• Ocelot (Owlbert Chatbot)
  AI-powered chatbot for student engagement, support, and FAQs. Integration with Banner still pending, but currently used with information on the website and input into Ocelot to facilitate answers to student questions

• EdSights
  AI chatbot focused on student success and retention.

Tools Under Evaluation

Otis is actively researching additional AI tools for potential future use, including:

• The Fabricant

• Runway

• Miro

• Kling AI

AI Tools for Administrative Use Only

These tools are licensed or deployed specifically for administrative and operational purposes:

• Asana
  GenAI features for smart answers, summaries, and project updates.

• Salesforce Education Cloud
  Einstein / Agentforce for predictive insights and AI-driven support agents.

• Coursedog (In Progress)
  AI-powered “QuickRead” in-app help and predictive course demand projections.

• Ellucian (Roadmap)
  AI-powered Student Success capabilities are planned but not yet deployed. ********

 

AI Tools Used Independently by Faculty, Staff, and Students

These tools are not centrally managed by Otis but are commonly used for creative, academic, or exploratory purposes:

AI Platforms & Tool Managers

• Pinokio.computer
  Local installation manager for free generative AI tools (image, audio, voice, animation). Provides a framework and an interface for accessing AI models developed by others. 

A variety of options are being pre-deployed to an AI-specific lab powered by higher-end hardware and graphics cards. The models deployed were determined in conjunction with the faculty.

 

Generative AI (Video & Media)

• Runway Gen-3 / Luma Labs / Hailuoai.video
  Generative AI video (prompt-to-video, image-to-video).

Generative AI (Images)

• Midjourney

• Stable Diffusion

• Krea AI

• DALL·E

Audio & Voice

• ElevenLabs
  Text-to-speech and voice generation.

Text & Research

• ChatGPT

• Perplexity AI
  AI tools for writing, research, and conversational assistance.

3D & Specialized Tools

• Meshy
  AI-powered 3D model generation.

• DeepL
  Translation with AI-enhanced writing support.

Other niche/free AI tools

Continuously evolving mix of creative and productivity apps (case-by-case usage).

Notes

• Availability and functionality of AI tools may change over time.

• Users should follow Otis policies and guidelines when using AI tools for academic or administrative purposes.

• Not all tools listed are officially supported by IT.