boisestate.ai is for…
Students
Research, writing, studying, email, career planning.
Faculty
Course design, feedback, assessments, research support.
Staff
Process automation, communications, documentation, productivity tools.
What is boisestate.ai?
boisestate.ai is a cloud-hosted AI platform built on Amazon Web Services (AWS) with Boise State branding and governance, featuring multiple AI models to choose from:
- Claude (Anthropic): Advanced reasoning and analysis
- LLaMA (Meta): Open-source, creative and coding support
- Nova (AWS): Secure, scalable enterprise-grade model
Key features
- Secure sharing of AI conversations (e.g., classmates and students)
- Custom “Assistants” with system instructions (e.g., “custom GPTs” and persistent, domain-specific chatbots)
- Semantic Scholar integration for academic research
- Playbooks and prompt examples to scaffold effective use
- Fully-compliant with FERPA and data policies
- Coming soon! Google Drive integration, course-specific bots, and agentic AI tools
Investing in developing our own AI platform gives Boise State the freedom to innovate, explore, and lead in the era of generative AI. It empowers Boise State students, faculty, and staff to create and learn with tools tailored to enhance teaching, academic discovery, and operational efficiency.
Max Davis-Johnson, Associate VP,
Chief information officer
Frequently asked questions
Why boisestate.ai?
Alignment with mission, policy, and fiscal goals
- Avoids vendor lock-in: Freedom to switch between best-fit models
- Complies with FERPA and data policies: Keeps university data secure and in-house
- Ensures equitable access: One system, same tools for all users
- Enables collaboration: Easy sharing between faculty/staff and student accounts
- Reduced costs at scale: External AI subscriptions would cost the university ~$7.2M/year for campus-wide use
How do I use boisestate.ai?
Playbooks
When you sign in to boisestate.ai, you’ll find dedicated Student and Faculty Playbooks designed to help you get started and succeed with AI.
These Playbooks are structured, easy-to-follow guides that provide practical instructions for using AI tools in meaningful ways. They cover a wide range of common use cases, including:
- Academic projects and coursework
- Studying and problem solving
- Writing and communication
- Research workflows and professional development
- Smart rubric creation
- Course design
- AI-enhanced teaching practices and classroom integration
Whether you’re new to AI or looking to deepen your skills, we recommend starting with these Playbooks. They offer step-by-step support to help you make the most of your boisestate.ai experience.
Learning resources and help documentation
Visit talk.boisestate.edu to learn more about how to use boisestate.ai and available resources.
Subscribe to updates
Subscribe to updates in boisestate.ai to get the latest news about new features and functionality, along with upcoming events and new learning resources.
What’s next?
Upcoming enhancements
- Agentic AI: Automate tasks like booking office hours or finding peer-reviewed research
- Model Context Protocol (MCP): Securely connect AI to campus systems like Canvas, calendars, and library databases
- Discipline-specific tools: Assistants tailored for specific disciplines such as Nursing, Applied Music, Sociology, or Advising
How can I get involved?
Opportunities to explore and provide feedback
- Explore boisestate.ai!
- Try the Student or Faculty Playbooks within boisestate.edu for guided use
- Submit feedback using the “Send Feedback” button in the app
- Faculty are encourage to pilot a fall 2025 class (see https://forms.gle/1eR6VzD2DQhhoRpi6)
Questions?
Contact the Help Desk at helpdesk@boisestate.edu or call (208) 426-4357.