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Summary
The university system provides a range of options for implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI), including Microsoft’s Copilot and DeepThought, a USNH AI assistant. This article provides information about USNH Chatbots.
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DeepThought
DeepThought is USNH’s AI platform, hosted on the USNH network, designed for creating personal and custom AI chatbots. You can build chatbots around specific topics, upload documents, scrape websites, and integrate shared data sources to enhance their capabilities. Conversations can be saved and resumed at any time.
The platform includes several free language models (LLMs), which keep data private on the USNH network. Premium models like ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini are also available for use with public data. Claude will be soon be approved for Tier 3 data including FERPA. Credits for premium models are very economical and typically less expensive than vendor subscriptions.
Examples of custom chatbots using Claude:
Personal chatbots are available to faculty and staff through single sign-on at: deepthought.usnh.edu.
If you are interested in configuring a custom chatbot or using a premium model, please submit a request to RCC Support.
More about DeepThought: Chatbot Settings and Administration.
Copilot
Copilot is Microsoft's branded chatbot, leveraging ChatGPT and Microsoft’s model to provide assistance. It is free to USNH users through our Microsoft agreement. We recommend signing in with your USNH account to benefit from enterprise data protection, indicated by a shield icon in the upper right corner of your screen. Copilot offers a conversational interface for generating text, summarizing information, creating images and automating tasks within apps like Windows, Microsoft 365 and GitHub. If you need Copilot integrated with your M365 environment, you can purchase the upgraded subscription by submitting an ET&S form request.
Privacy considerations for public chatbots
DeepThought is recommended when using sensitive university data, as it runs on the University System of New Hampshire network and data does not leave the USNH network when using the local models. You can see which data security tier each AI model is approved for in the model drop-down menu when starting a new conversation. For handling sensitive data, users should consult with the Research Computing Center (RCC) regarding appropriate AI tools and necessary compliance measures.
Public platforms like ChatGPT, Bard and others are not secure and pose risks related to data privacy, intellectual property and compliance with cybersecurity standards. Refer to the USNH Cybersecurity Policy on AI for more details.
If your department determines that neither DeepThought nor Copilot fully meet your needs and you will not be using any sensitive university data, alternative AI solutions may be considered. Any alternative must successfully complete the Security Assessment Review (SAR) process before purchase or implementation to ensure compliance with university security standards. Please submit a software purchase request.
Want to Learn More?
Contact RCC Support at https://usnh.edu/it/rcc-support
Need additional help?
If you have any additional questions, please fill out the Website & Mobile Development Support Form.