Staff present AI prototypes that can make our work easier
Thirteen teams of inventive staff rose to the challenge of creating brand-new AI applications to lighten their workload during the AI Cocreation Lab. At the closing ceremony in the Academy Building, participants showed their pitch films, and an expert jury announced the winning prototypes.
‘We may be the oldest university in the Netherlands, but we’re certainly not the most old-fashioned’, said AI product owner and jury chair Julian van der Kraats just before announcing the winning projects. ‘We’ve just held a hackathon to build bots!’
This hackathon, the AI Cocreation Lab, was held just before the summer, following the spring workshop series on using artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce the workload. Over 600 academic and support staff attended these workshops. In the AI Cocreation Lab, a smaller group of staff took things a step further: in teams, supported by AI experts, they developed their plans for a ‘GenAI’ solution into prototypes. GenAI is a form of AI that generates new content.
Cutting down on paperwork and routine tasks
During the final session, the teams presented their pitch films, and the winners were announced in two categories: chatbots and agents. What’s the difference? A chatbot talks to you (think of it as a live A&A), while an agent also performs actions (like sending emails, generating documents or creating schedules). Some teams had added a choir of angels or a hallelujah sound effects to their pitch, highlighting the potential of their prototypes to reduce the bureaucracy, repetitive questions and routine tasks.
Ideas for GenAI agents appearing on the big screen included: a university-wide transcription service for teaching staff and researchers, a tool to increase the visibility of research project webpages and a tool that generates clear, inclusive job postings.
In the chatbot category, staff came up with bots to answer student questions about exchanges or explain the thesis assessment procedure, and a digital lab assistant to answer safety-related questions without interrupting technicians. Although the chatbots are still in the prototype phase, some teams had already developed mascots complete with names, outfits and even custom voices. One featured a voice-over by rapper Snoop Dogg.
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Staff members Suzan Kommers (HR advisor, winning team in the chatbots category) and Thea de Gelder, Alejandro Mediavilla and Justin Sijtsma (Personal Development Centre FSW, winning team in the agents category together with Thalia Thomassen). -
Marlon van Leeuwen welcomes all participating teams. Through the Workload Reduction Fund, she started the series of workshops on how to work smarter and more efficiently with AI tools.
Clever design
That same film belonged to the winning bot, which was designed by HR Leadership & Development staff: PhD Pathfinder PAX. This helps PhD candidates choose compulsory transferable skills courses. ‘This chatbox is cleverly designed because it asks questions and then uses the answers it receives’, said jury chair Julian. ‘You’ve also thought through the entire process, from marketing and presentation to production and internal testing before the bot is rolled out.’
The winning agent was a live planner for speed dates between alumni and students, created by staff from the Personal Development Centre at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. The AI agent dynamically creates or adjusts groups based on live input, even accommodating last-minute changes or cancellations. This not only reduces stress but also ensures the best use is made of people’s time and the rooms available. The planner can also be used in other situations, such as for seminars, career events and symposia. ‘The most ambitious project of them all’, said Julian. ‘You’ve built something that works for this highly complicated use case.’
Both winning teams will receive support from the ISSC to further develop their prototype into tools that can be used within the organisation.
‘AI should help, not replace’
Acting President of the Executive Board, Timo Kos, expressed pride in the enthusiasm his colleagues have shown: ‘It’s a fantastic way to explore how we can use these new technologies in our work. Lots of people mentioned repetitive tasks today, so it’s great that this can free up time for the things we truly enjoy.’
While experimenting with AI is, Kos emphasised that we will always need human involvement. ‘AI should help, not replace us.’ He acknowledged that bureaucracy can be stressful at the university, and that there is sometimes so much information that people can’t see the woods for the trees. ‘So I hope we can continue exploring AI’s potential.’
Reduce your workload with AI: extra workshops and webinar
Due to the high demand, ten additional ‘Reduce your workload with AI’ workshops will be held this autumn. The dates will be announced soon. Want to learn more about using GenAI in your everyday work? Watch the webinar.
Banner: chatbot prototypes developed by staff members during the AI Cocreation Lab. From left to right: Pax, Humbert, Thesius andDaffy.