NEWS: TritonGPT webinar recap: democratizing AI for UC San Diego and the broader higher education community

UC San Diego library

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.

Overview

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.

[Vince Kellen, Allorah Pradenas and Prett Pollack covering important news about TritonGPT: the strategy, architecture, use-cases, examples of collaborations, and news about expanding TritonGPT to other higher eduation institutions across the state.]

The strategy is simple

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 architecture and key partners behind the product

UC San Diego’s success in developing TritonGPT is built on three key pillars: (1) the team’s 15+ years of experience in AI at UC San Diego; (2) significant funding from the university, and (3) close collaboration with industry partners, including startups founded by UC San Diego faculty, alumni, and students.

The webinar 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 other key partners such as 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.

The future – unfolding rapidly today

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.

Learn more – stay engaged with TritonGPT

To learn more about TritonGPT and other innovations from UC San Diego:

Note: The UC Tech News team welcomes you to join the UC Tech community for coffee at 7 a.m. Central Time (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.

Author

Laurel Skurko, Marketing & Communications, IT Services, UC Office of the President
Laurel Skurko
Marketing & Communications
UC Office of the President

[Cover image caption: Geisel Library, UC San Diego]