Partnerships Align With Campus Use Cases
For some institutions, the AI conversation eventually converges on a single trusted vendor, but FSU has decided to embrace the power of maintaining multiple partnerships.
“Our strategy has been to work with companies that are pushing the envelope on what could be in the world of AI,” explains Rebekah Dorn, the university’s chief experience and support officer. “We look for solutions that match our use cases, the AI tools that best fit those needs.”
Use cases are identified through structured pilot programs designed to let the campus community evaluate solutions and provide feedback. In a 2025 trial of Microsoft 365 Copilot, for example, graduate students in the university’s computer science program experimented with the tool to gain a better understanding of complex data sets. More recently, 30 instructors from departments across the university participated in a pilot called AI Sparks where they learned to use Google Gemini and NotebookLM for everything from literary analyses to creating mock interviews for business students.
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Faculty (Mostly) Lead the Way in Adoption
When it comes to the IT department’s role in deciding which AI vendors make the cut, “we’ve tried to put faculty in the driver’s seat,” says Robert Fuselier, chief academic technology officer. FSU’s technologists are “behind the scenes assessing these tools,” he explains, “but our biggest goal is to help faculty find ways to implement AI into their courses.”
The main caveat to this: Before an AI solution is introduced to the campus community, data protection agreements must be in place. “That’s, full-stop, the first thing we worry about,” says Dorn. “Only once we’re confident that we have a secure environment and that the vendor isn’t going to use our data to train other large language models do we let our faculty and staff get their hands on it.”
Adopting Multiple Tools Allows Users To Build AI Fluency
Today, FSU’s roster of AI tools licensed for student use includes Gemini, NotebookLM, Copilot, Zoom AI Companion and an AI-powered coaching service from LinkedIn Learning. Faculty and staff can use these solutions as well, and they also have access to Adobe Creative Cloud and CrowdStrike’s AI-enabled Falcon Complete Next-Gen managed detection and response cybersecurity service.
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In addition, Dorn notes, the university recently launched a campuswide portal containing more than 100 large language models for academic and research purposes. Called ArtesAI, the cloud-based platform was built on Microsoft Azure and serves as a central hub for users to securely access and build custom AI tools while maintaining strict data privacy, she explains.
Finally, FSU’s Artificial Intelligence in Education Advisory Committee meets regularly to discuss how the technology has impacted teaching and learning, while its Artificial Intelligence Policy Workgroup is tasked with developing policies and guidance for responsible use of AI. Over time, Fuselier says, FSU hopes to improve AI fluency among students, with a goal of preparing FSU graduates for a future where AI solutions are nearly everywhere.
“It’s so important that they get experience with these tools while they’re here,” he says. “We know that they’re going to need these skills to be competitive in the workplace.”