Inside Higher Ed (March 2, 2022)

How can campus apps create more personal connections among students and administrators? The University of Nevada at Las Vegas has found a novel way for administrators to engage with students through AI.  

“I really wanted to have a chance to speak to all students,” UNLV President Keith Whitfield explained. But with 31,000 students, it just wasn’t possible. 

After touring Black Fire Innovation, a part of the technology park on campus, Whitfield was inspired to build an online version of himself to better engage with students. 

“The public research university recently unveiled the digital President Whitfield, an artificial intelligence and online avatar that can answer more than 1,000 questions about hundreds of university-related topics. Whitfield and the developers at AI Media Lab, the Nevada-based company that built the AI and avatar, hope the digital president will serve as a resource for students, employees and potential applicants.”