Taiwan’s Universities Embrace AI to Enhance Internationalization and Campus Services
In recent years, Taiwan’s universities have taken solid steps toward internationalization, aiming to enhance students’ global perspectives and competitiveness through international exchanges and collaborations. With the rapid advancement of digital technology, generative AI is gradually being introduced into campuses, contributing to the “University Internationalization” initiative.
Building AI-driven smart campuses not only helps students from diverse backgrounds quickly integrate into university life but also enhances administrative efficiency, unlocking new possibilities for learning and international engagement. National Dong Hwa University (NDHU), a well-known international university in Hualien, had over 1,000 international students and more than 2,000 new students enrolled in the 2023–2024 academic year. To support students from various backgrounds, NDHU has developed an intelligent, multilingual campus information system that provides real-time access to essential university information.
AI-Powered Campus Administration Supports International Students
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), a leader in AI-driven solutions, has partnered with Taiwan AI Labs—the first open artificial intelligence research institute in Asia—to help NDHU establish the “NDHU Exclusive GPT Platform.” At the core of this system is FedGPT, a localized traditional Chinese language model trained using NDHU’s data. This AI-powered system supports long-text comprehension and enhanced retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) functions. Once trained, the model also offers multilingual translation features to assist students in accessing campus information efficiently.
The NDHU Exclusive GPT Platform leverages various generative AI technologies to enhance university operations and provide students with timely and accurate campus information:
- Customized Language Model with NDHU’s Knowledge Base: The GPT platform is designed specifically for NDHU, creating a dedicated knowledge base that accumulates and optimizes campus information over time. The university can build and manage this knowledge base independently, ensuring data accuracy, security, and efficient AI training.
- Multilingual Translation Capabilities: The GPT platform supports multiple languages, including Chinese, English, Indonesian, and Malay, allowing international students to access essential information about food, housing, transportation, course selection, and other daily necessities. This function aligns with the university’s internationalization strategy and enhances global student services.
- Automated Large Language Model (LLM) Training: The platform features automated training tools for LLMs, enabling NDHU to maintain its exclusive database while integrating FedGPT’s security and automation features, ensuring the safety of institutional and student data.
- Comprehensive Data Query Services: The GPT platform supports Q&A functions for administrative and academic departments, providing students with precise AI-assisted guidance and reducing the administrative workload of university staff.
HPE Taiwan & Hong Kong President Wang Jia-Sheng emphasized that HPE has long collaborated with Taiwanese software startups to create value. This partnership with Taiwan AI Labs enables NDHU to develop a customized GPT platform. HPE’s end-to-end solutions and consulting services provide a strong foundation for integrating advanced AI technologies into education, optimizing university administration, and enhancing students’ academic experiences.
NDHU Implements GPT to Support Students in Real Time
Taiwan AI Labs founder Ethan Tu highlighted that FedGPT serves as the “brain” for enterprises and organizations, operating independently of public cloud services to prevent external knowledge interference. As AI-powered administrative assistants integrate into NDHU’s campus, they progressively learn and adapt to university knowledge, much like a well-trained and loyal employee who accurately and efficiently answers administrative inquiries while ensuring the confidentiality of student and faculty data. This approach aligns with the principles of trustworthy and responsible AI applications.
NDHU President Xu Hui-Ming emphasized that, as an international campus, the university prioritizes the needs of both international students and new enrollees. The launch of NDHU’s AI-powered large language model (LLM) campus information system in August 2024 is expected to greatly enhance international and new students’ campus experiences by providing essential university services and improving administrative efficiency. This initiative will play a crucial role in advancing NDHU’s global engagement efforts.
This article is republished from Economic Daily News (Original Article Link).
