Chulalongkorn University unveils AI project with Google Cloud

Chulalongkorn University and Google Cloud have launched ChulaGENIE, a generative AI application project for the university's community.

ChulaGENIE has been developed to integrate with Model Garden on Vertex AI, allowing users to select from a curated array of AI foundation models designed for diverse tasks. Initially, Chulalongkorn University users will be able to employ Google's Gemini 1.5 Flash and Gemini 1.5 Pro models, with future options to incorporate enterprise-level versions of Anthropic's Claude models and Meta's Llama models.

The application leverages the multilingual and multimodal capabilities of Gemini models to allow users to explain complex topics in various languages, such as Thai and English, and to facilitate the generation of content quickly and accurately. The models also allow users to upload extensive documents, like PDFs of up to 1.4 million words, including tables, charts, and images, to extract valuable insights and specific information, which is especially advantageous for researchers summarising academic literature or analysing data sets.

Professor Dr Wilert Puriwat, President of Chulalongkorn University, highlighted the importance of the initiative, stating: "For Chula to realise its vision of becoming Thailand's premier AI university, we needed best-in-class capabilities to accelerate the development of trusted and sovereign AI that benefits society. Google Cloud's Vertex AI provides all the capabilities we are looking for within a single platform. It offers rigorous safety, privacy, and security safeguards; flexibility of choice through Model Garden; and the ability to customise powerful foundation models for diverse needs and more accurate responses."

"This allowed us to build and unveil ChulaGENIE in under three months, making Chula the first university in Thailand to offer a gen AI application for higher education that is customisable by users, adheres to responsible AI principles, and serves the community at scale. In collaboration with Google Cloud, we plan to continuously enhance ChulaGENIE while enabling more homegrown, education-centric AI innovations to achieve maturity and adoption momentum."

In addition, ChulaGENIE will enable the creation of custom AI agents for specific tasks, particularly in areas such as tailored research assistance, advising, and administrative support. This functionality is intended to help users draw connections and form new research questions, as well as streamline academic and administrative processes.

Chulalongkorn University is committed to the responsible use of AI technology. Vertex AI's safety filters, in conjunction with the university's governance framework, aim to prevent the production of harmful or inappropriate content. Google's grounding feature will further enhance the precision of responses by linking to pertinent Google Search results.

Annop Siritikul, Country Director, Thailand, Google Cloud, commented on the partnership: "At Google Cloud, we believe that AI's usefulness hinges on its precision and responsible implementation. Our Vertex AI platform empowers organisations like Chula to operationalise responsible AI through features like grounding, model evaluation services, and tools for meeting stringent standards around data governance, privacy, and intellectual property protection."

"Chula's rapid rollout of ChulaGENIE reinforces the value of a platform-first approach for strategic AI initiatives, enabling development, deployment, and management at scale. This, along with a new Thai large language model for higher education and Google's AI skilling programs, will unlock new possibilities in research and academia, ultimately benefiting all of Thai society."

The university further ensures private and secure AI experiences with Google Cloud's enterprise-grade data encryption and access controls, safeguarding user prompts and responses from misuse and preserving confidential information.

Looking ahead, Chula intends to collaborate further with Google Cloud to develop an open-source, domain-specific Thai large language model for higher education. This model aims to enhance learning by aligning with individual pace and style and to support curriculum development based on emerging educational research.

Chulalongkorn University has proactively advanced AI competencies in its community by offering the Google AI Essentials course. More than 800 members of the Chula community have completed the course, enhancing their skills and understanding of AI. The university is adapting the course for non-native English speakers to ensure wider participation and effective use of AI tools.