Opening the academic year: Bar-Ilan University launches AI-based teaching assistant

The academic year at Bar-Ilan University opens with good news for students: for the first time in Israeli academia, an innovative learning tool is being launched, enabling students to receive academic assistance anytime and from anywhere. The new tool, introduced as a pilot program, is based on a ChatGPT-powered natural language model that has been trained on educational content. It can provide relevant information, discuss academic issues, expand on subjects, and help Bar-Ilan students practice according to the questions they ask.

The information provided by the model is reliable and aligns with academic requirements. It allows students who missed a class or wish for further elaboration to engage in a dialogue with the AI-powered teaching assistant. The course materials uploaded into the system include transcribed Zoom lectures, presentations, exams, assignments, and bibliographic sources. The unique feature of the AI teaching assistant is its ability to immediately provide any material in the course based on the specific question posed by the student, in Hebrew.

The pilot will begin in the upcoming academic year with a select group of courses from various fields of study, including brain science, physics, economics, education, humanities, and law. It will expand to include additional courses and fields of study, based on feedback about the tool’s effectiveness from both students and instructors.

Artificial intelligence has become a significant tool, changing the world and enabling innovative breakthroughs in academia and teaching methods. The tool was developed during the war to assist reservists and security forces who had to miss classes due to their national security duties. Now, the AI-powered teaching assistant will help them—and other students—as they catch up on coursework at their convenience.

Bar-Ilan University is considered a global leader in AI research and is now pioneering the integration of AI into teaching. Last year and again this year, the university offers about 200 courses in artificial intelligence and its applications as part of its curricula across a wide range of fields. This is all aimed at equipping students with the essential skills in this vital area.