Microsoft partners with universities to allow the use of generative AI in school

Microsoft has partnered with eight UGC-funded universities to drive the development of AI adoption and to enable the use of generative AI, according to a statement by the tech company. 

The eight participating universities include The University of Hong Kong (HKU), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), City University of Hong Kong (CityU), Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Lingnan University (LU) and Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK).

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Powered by Azure OpenAI, the AI solutions will be available in the academic year 2023/2024 for professors, teachers, researchers and students across the academic, research and operational domains of the institutions. It aims at revolutionising the teaching and learning model, as well as equipping students with the necessary skills to utilise AI in their academic and professional careers.

Under the partnership, Microsoft will harness the potential of Azure OpenAI Service’s GPT models in developing their own solutions and provide a series of workshops to users. The solutions aim to safeguard sensitive research and ensure data privacy within the academic environment. Microsoft expects generative AI to gain widespread adoption in society and serve as an assistive tool to enhance the productivity of educators and students in work such as course design and evaluation, student engagement and consultation, research and literature summary and a chatbot for university-wide operation.

Cally Chan, general manager of Microsoft Hong Kong and Macau, said, “Through providing hands-on workshops to instilling knowledge of AI application to enable widespread AI usage within campuses, our collaboration with the universities in Hong Kong aims to propel generative AI technology powered by Azure OpenAI Service to the forefront of education.”

“By harnessing this cutting-edge technology, we firmly believe it can modernise the educational experience and equip future talent with the skills required in this fast-changing world,” Chan added.

“Enhancing the quality of teaching and learning using AI is a major trend for higher education institutions. Collaborating with Microsoft Hong Kong to promote the application of generative AI in the university will accelerate this educational transformation," said Isabella Poon, The Chinese University of Hong Kong’s pro-vice-chancellor (education).

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