Microsoft Copilot at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

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23 April 2024

Developments around generative AI are moving at high speed. So are the developments surrounding the providers of such AI systems. The most important development in this regard is the emergence of Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft's AI tool. How is VU Amsterdam dealing with this? "Protection of student and company data is the number one priority. VU Amsterdam is working with other institutions through SURF to ensure that the requirements and wishes of the institutions are met."

Basic functions
First, Microsoft Copilot consists of several components. The most visible application can be found in the sidebar of Microsoft Edge or at https://copilot.microsoft.com/. Previously, it was called Bing Chat. There you can - as with ChatGPT - ask Copilot questions to perform a variety of tasks such as searching for information or adapting texts. If you are logged in with your VU Amsterdam account, you are using it in a privacy compliant environment. That means that the data does not get outside VU Amsterdam and will not be used for model training, for example. These functions are an integral part of the Educational Microsoft Licence A5 that VU Amsterdam uses. The same applies to the rest of the Dutch educational institutions that use Microsoft.

Extended variants
The extended version of Copilot is the Microsoft 365 variant, which adds a variety of generative AI functions to Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. This feature is currently not activated at VU Amsterdam. Another variant is Copilot Pro, which allows you to create your own Chat environment (GPTs) and attach files as resources. However, this product is for consumers only and can be compared to a paid ChatGPT account. And then there is Azure OpenAI Studio, which goes much further. It allows you to develop fully customized applications.

What is the current situation with Copilot at VU Amsterdam?
The demand for a campus-wide licence for the Microsoft 365 Copilot variant is known to the organization. However, VU Amsterdam cannot license this variant in the short term. There are several reasons for this: First, all the ins-and-outs regarding privacy and security are not yet clear. For example, VU Amsterdam wants to prevent sensitive student information ending up on Microsoft's servers via these tools. VU Amsterdam is working with other institutions through SURF to implement a process in which this does become completely clear and meets the requirements and wishes of the institutions. Second, there is an ethical dilemma: there are many questions surrounding the use of generative AI, for example around algorithmic bias, use of copyrighted data and energy consumption. VU Amsterdam therefore wants to carefully weigh the use of these models. And finally, vendors are currently trying to set up licensing conditions and licence prices in a way that maximizes their own benefits. This is currently unaffordable for the institutions. VU Amsterdam and all the other educational institutions in the Netherlands have to negotiate that firmly, and that is coordinated nationally by SURF. Those negotiations are long processes. And other providers will also be considered in the process.

In short, behind the scenes, diligent work is being done to make a well-considered purchase of AI technology, but that can only proceed when it's safe and responsible to do so.

More information about Copilot at VU Amsterdam can be found on this page of the VU IT Collaboration team.