Recently, UC San Diego’s chief information officer (CIO), Vince Kellen, along with his team, provided the UC Tech community with an update on TritonGPT—an AI-powered tool they designed to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of nearly 40,000 staff at UC San Diego. This groundbreaking tool is tailored to the university’s specific needs while remaining highly affordable.
During a one-hour webinar, Kellen, along with Allorah Pradenas, assistant vice chancellor and chief of staff, and Brett Pollak, senior director of Workplace Technology Services, highlighted TritonGPT’s purpose, capabilities, and features. They also discussed how new partnerships with institutions like UC Berkeley, San Diego State University, and five other higher education organizations are helping them work toward their larger goal of democratizing GPT across the higher education landscape.
The vision behind TritonGPT is rooted in what Kellen calls “vertical AI,” which focuses on integrating the university’s own data, systems, and business processes into a single, affordable solution. By doing so, they aim to create a highly relevant tool for the university’s staff.
The webinar also covered key aspects of TritonGPT’s architecture and the critical role partnerships play in its success. This includes collaborations with faculty- and alumni-founded startups, such as Danswer and Wolfram and the use of the UC San Diego Supercomputer Center for data processing. Significant funding from the chancellor’s office, has also been instrumental in bringing TritonGPT to life.
One of the webinar’s many highlights included the discussion of the team’s continuous engagement with the UC San Diego community. They actively gather feedback by asking staff to identify their key business challenges, ensuring the tool addresses real-world problems.
Looking ahead, TritonGPT is set to expand beyond UC San Diego. The team is now launching TritonGPT at UC Berkeley and San Diego State University, and is working with five additional higher education institutions, as well as state government entities. This expansion aligns with their mission to democratize GPT for higher education professionals, making advanced tools accessible to all who need them.
UC San Diego’s success in developing TritonGPT is built on three key pillars: (1) the team’s 15+ years of experience in AI; (2) significant funding from the university, and (3) close collaboration with industry partners, including startups founded by UC San Diego faculty, alumni, and students.
To learn more about TritonGPT and other innovations from UC San Diego:
- Visit the UC San Diego Common Solutions Collaborative landing page, where you can explore more about their four key products: (1) TritonGPT; (2) Student Activity Hub; (3) Process Palooza; and (4) Natural Language Querying and Analyzing Data with Wolfram EPC.
- Watch the September, 2024 TritonGPT webinar.
For those attending the EDUCAUSE national conference (Tuesday-Wenesday, October 22–23, 2024) in Austin, TX, UC San Diego’s team will be hosting four separate sessions on each of their products. Register here if you plan to attend. Note: The UC Tech News team welcomes you to join the UC Tech community for coffee at 7 a.m. CT just outside the 8 a.m. UC San Diego lectures on both Tuesday, October 22 and Wednesday, October 23. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to UCTechNews@UCOP.edu.
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UC Office of the President