AI assistants for universities: HFD and AI Campus launch the Bot Camp

How can AI assistants be used sensibly, reliably and in a legally compliant way in the higher education context? At the Bot-Camp run by Hochschulforum Digitalisierung (HFD) and AI Campus, lecturers, university staff and experts address this question – collaboratively, practice-oriented and with a view to concrete application ideas for everyday university life.

Why “knowledge-based” AI assistants?

Knowledge-based AI assistants promise more than generic text replies: they purposefully access defined documents, guidelines, statutes or teaching materials and generate answers on the basis of these verified contents. This is particularly crucial in the university context. Whether it’s student advisory services, exam management, IT support or teaching – many use cases require reliable, context-specific information instead of general probabilistic answers. But how can such systems be implemented effectively? Which technical, organisational and legal issues need to be clarified? And how can universities ensure that an AI assistant truly adds value?

This is where the Bot-Camp – Using Knowledge-Based AI Assistants at Universities comes into play, a joint initiative of the Higher Education Forum on Digitalisation (HFD) and the AI Campus. The format combines interactive online events with an individual experimental phase. It offers strategic orientation, practical testing and collegial exchange – with the goal of turning one's own application ideas into working prototypes.
 

Why knowledge-based systems are particularly relevant for universities right now

While generative AI models such as ChatGPT create texts independently, combining them with a dedicated knowledge base opens up new opportunities: The AI can access fact-based, context-specific information and thus generate answers that are more specific, reliable and geared towards real-world application. This is fundamental in the university sector – whether for student advisory, in teaching content or organisational processes.

Universities work with complex, dynamic information structures: examination regulations change, module handbooks are updated, advisory services become more specialised. Traditional chatbots quickly reach their limits if they are not specifically linked to institutional knowledge.

Knowledge-based AI assistants address exactly this point. Technically, they often use so-called retrieval approaches: relevant documents are retrieved from a defined knowledge base and included in the generation of answers. This results in answers based on university-specific sources that are more transparently traceable, easier to update and clearly linked to institutionally verified content.

This opens up new perspectives for universities: For example, an AI assistant could guide prospective students through application processes, support lecturers in designing competence-oriented learning objectives, or explain administrative processes in an understandable way – always based on current documents.
 

How is the Bot-Camp structured?

The Bot-Camp offers interested parties and experts from universities a (digital) space for exchange, discussion and joint learning all about building knowledge-based AI assistants. The focus is on hands-on insights, collaborative development of participants’ own approaches and a solutions-oriented examination of the associated challenges.

The format is divided into three phases:

Phase 1: Practical Impulses and Joint Assessment
In the first online meeting on 20 March 2026, participants will gain insights into existing use cases and the technical fundamentals of knowledge-based AI assistants. Key topics include:
•    System architectures and data sources,
•    Data protection and legal frameworks,
•    Quality control and governance,
•    Roles and responsibility models.

Based on previously identified interests and needs, participants will discuss these central topics and individual questions in small groups. In preparation for Phase 2, participants will be given an introduction to an experimental environment set up by RWTH Aachen for the Bot-Camp, in which fully functional knowledge-based AI assistants can be created. The environment is available to all participants for the duration of the Bot-Camp. This offer is made possible with the support of KI:connect.nrw and the AI Service Centre West AI.

Furthermore, all participants will receive access to the chat environment “HAWKI 2” in cooperation with HAWK Hildesheim / Holzminden / Göttingen and with support from the University of Giessen.

The start of the Bot-Camp will be accompanied by four practical impulses: Malte Persike (RWTH Aachen), Andreas Sexauer (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), Vincent Timm (HAWK Hildesheim / Holzminden / Göttingen) and Louis Dunkel (Goethe University Frankfurt) will provide application-oriented introductions to working with knowledge-based AI chatbots based on concrete application scenarios.

Phase 2: Experimenting and Developing
After the initial meeting, a multi-week phase of self-directed, individual engagement with participants’ own projects follows: Supported by structured canvas templates, participants develop their first sample application scenarios. Not only technical matters are addressed, but also strategic ones: What problem is to be solved? Who is the target group? Which data can be used?

The heart of Phase 2 is free experimentation using the provided (or their own) development environment. Here, participants can:
•    integrate their own knowledge bases,
•    systematically test prompts,
•    develop initial prototypes.

Phase 3: Peer-to-Peer Workshop – Feedback and Further Development
In a final Peer-to-Peer Workshop on 17 April 2026, participants will present the approaches and prototypes they've developed. In small groups, they will collectively reflect on challenges, discuss technical and organisational questions, and explore scaling possibilities.

The focus is on mutual learning and collegial support: Which solutions work? Where do barriers arise? What structures are needed for sustainable operation?
 

From Idea to Sustainable Implementation

Knowledge-based AI assistants only fulfil their potential if they are strategically embedded: Who maintains the knowledge base? How are contents updated? How is quality ensured? And how do you communicate transparently with users?

The Bot-Camp provides space to consider these questions at an early stage. It’s not just about technical feasibility, but about sustainable structures for everyday university life.
 

Focus on Competence Building

The Bot-Camp is not just about developing individual prototypes, but aims for systematic competence building in universities. Participants are introduced to the architecture of knowledge-based AI. As a result, they are better able to assess the opportunities and limitations of such systems and handle legal and organisational matters with greater confidence. They develop ideas for transferable concepts that they can use in their own work context.

In addition, a network of interested individuals is created, working on similar questions – an important factor, since many challenges are comparable across institutions.
 

Who is the Bot-Camp for?

The format is aimed at university staff who wish to use AI assistants strategically and in practice, including:
•    Staff in IT, support or e-learning units,
•    People working in student advisory and administration,
•    Lecturers interested in AI-supported teaching and learning formats,
•    Project managers in the field of digital transformation.

Technical know-how is useful but not required. What matters is the willingness to develop a concrete use case and to get actively involved.
 

Registration

Knowledge-based AI assistants offer universities the chance to develop reliable, context-specific and scalable support services. The Bot-Camp from the Higher Education Forum on Digitalisation and the AI Campus combines strategic reflection with practical testing – and supports universities in turning their own solutions from ideas into prototypes.

Due to high demand, we have unfortunately had to close registration for the Bot Camp. You are welcome to put your name on the waiting list – we will contact you as soon as possible if any places become available. The results from the Bot Camp will be made available to all interested parties afterwards.