The WashU ChatGPT is compliant for use with sensitive data and WashU intellectual property, including information protected under HIPAA and FERPA.
The tool currently uses Open AI’s ChatGPT-4o model but, due to its isolated nature, does not pull in new information from the web.
Since its launch in December 2023, thousands from the WashU community have used the secure WashU ChatGPT to enable and enhance research, education and patient care.
The tool has been made available in form to quickly provide a secure GPT environment to the WashU community for research, operations, and education. It is not mobile-friendly, and users may experience limited capacity or constraints.
Users are invited to share chatbot feedback so that we may continue improving user experience and optimizing the tool. Advanced users may also request API access.
WashU ChatGPT is approved for use with sensitive information, including data protected under HIPAA and FERPA.
WashU ChatGPT FAQs
WashU faculty, staff and students can access the sandbox using their WUSTL Key.
WashU’s instance of ChatGPT uses OpenAI’s ChatGPT Version 4o. Currently, it is not custom-trained on any WashU-specific information or datasets. It does a fairly poor job at answering WashU-specific questions like library hours or HR policies and it is not suggested for these types of questions at this time.
No, the secure sandbox will never display information you enter to another user, nor will it train itself with that information.
No, at this time we are not custom-training the WashU tool nor offering access to individual instances. Please provide feedback using the form at it.wustl.edu/gptfeedback or contact aiquestions@wustl.edu about the functionality you seek.
This tool is not able to search the live internet and does rely on a static model. If you need to rely on more updated content, and you are not working with sensitive information, please consider using Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Chat Enterprise), available to WashU students, faculty and staff, as that tool does have access to the live internet.
Yes, it has been reviewed by the university and is deemed suitable for use with sensitive data, including information protected under HIPAA and FERPA, and for any university purpose, including research, operations, teaching and learning. It is important to provide faculty, staff and students with swift access to this powerful emergent technology in a secure sandbox environment that protects sensitive data from leakage and where you can use your own data and work output without it becoming part of OpenAI’s model training.
The WashU GPT will consider each new OpenAI model release before implementing it locally. New model releases will not instantly be available in the WashU GPT.
Technically, yes, you can, but the tool currently does not utilize a responsive design to make it usable on small mobile devices. You will need to be in a desktop environment to actually utilize the tool.
Individuals’ usage is logged in conjunction with their WUSTL Key login. All chat history is retained in the system even when deleted from display by the user. The tool exists to serve the missions of the university and its misuse or abuse will not be tolerated.
Content filtering is in use. You should refrain from participating in harmful or offensive activities. See WashU compliance policies wustl.edu/about/compliance-policies for more. All interactions are logged and linked to the user’s WUSTL Key account.
No image-related capabilities exist with this tool – input and output are wholly alphanumeric.
Yes, API endpoint access is now available and more announcements are planned. Please direct further inquiries to aiquestions@wustl.edu.
Potentially. We will keep the campus community updated about further plans.
Please browse our resources to learn about AI tools and responsible use.
As part of our commitment to sustainability and responsible AI practices, we recognize the environmental footprint associated with deploying large AI models. To reduce this impact, we plan to allow access to smaller and more efficient foundational AI models within WashU ChatGPT in a future update. These smaller models require less computational power and energy.
Additionally, we are following best practices to minimize the environmental impact of AI, as recommended by experts like those at Microsoft. You can find their guidelines here: Reducing the Environmental Impact of Generative AI.