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AI at Northwestern IT: Tools, Guidance, and What’s Next

Posted Date: March 17, 2026

Artificial intelligence has quickly become part of the everyday work of our campus community, and Northwestern IT is committed to helping students, faculty, staff, and researchers use these tools thoughtfully, effectively, and securely. From drafting and summarizing content to analyzing data and streamlining routine tasks, AI tools are available for use at Northwestern. Read on to learn more about what's available, or get started with Microsoft Copilot.

What’s Available Today?

Microsoft Copilot is the primary, general-use AI tool available at Northwestern. It continues to evolve as AI capabilities rapidly improve, regularly adding new features, integrations, and smarter ways to support everyday work. As part of that evolution, Copilot now provides access to leading AI models from both OpenAI (GPT, DALL-E) and Anthropic (Claude Sonnet, Opus), all within the same trusted Microsoft environment—giving users flexibility to choose the model best suited to each task without needing separate tools or accounts.

All Northwestern students, faculty, and staff have access to the free Copilot Chat, and faculty and staff can use the full Microsoft 365 Copilot capabilities with an add-on paid subscription. When you are logged into these services with your Northwestern NetID, your data is protected and operates fully within Northwestern’s security, compliance, and data boundaries.

Copilot Chat (Free)

  • Available at https://m365.cloud.microsoft/chat. Sign in with your Northwestern NetID to ensure your data is protected.
  • Incorporated directly into many Microsoft applications, including Edge, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook.
  • Uses GPT models from OpenAI, with options to choose between “quick response” and “think deeper” modes.
  • Includes image generation capabilities.
  • Can search the internet for updated information.
  • Works with both documents you upload directly and currently open documents in select Microsoft applications.
  • Does not have broad access to your OneDrive or SharePoint files.

Microsoft 365 Copilot with an Add-On License (Subscription-Based)

  • Includes Copilot Chat capabilities, plus additional features and models.
  • Can access and search your files across OneDrive and SharePoint, as well as email and Teams messages.
  • Provides access to preconfigured and custom agents, including “Researcher” and “Analyst” that are designed for multi-step complex work, and Excel and PowerPoint agents for creating and manipulating files.
  • Adds the option to choose Claude models from Anthropic when working with agents.
  • Allows the creation of custom agents with access to particular information or behavioral instructions.
  • Includes the option to create Copilot Notebooks that bring together multiple documents and sources on a topic for collaborative work.
  • See the Microsoft 365 Copilot Service page for further information on purchasing an add-on license.

Microsoft Teams Premium adds AI meeting summary and event facilitation tools to Microsoft Teams through an additional paid subscription available for faculty and staff. It can take notes, identify action items, and translate conversations in real time. Learn more about the features on the Microsoft Teams Premium site and purchase a subscription.

GitHub Copilot is Northwestern’s option for AI coding assistance. Students and faculty working with public or non-sensitive data can access GitHub Copilot through the GitHub Education program. Members of the Northwestern community working with sensitive or restricted data can access GitHub Copilot Business with additional data protections by creating a GitHub organization as part of Northwestern’s GitHub enterprise account. GitHub Copilot includes access to multiple coding models, options to integrate it into common tools such as Visual Studio Code, and the ability to include AI in workflows on the GitHub platform.

The Northwestern community also has access to a range of AI tools and resources available through additional Northwestern IT services. AI features are incorporated in tools such as Adobe Creative Cloud, Panopto, and ArcGIS. Researchers can use the Quest High-Performance Computing Cluster to run and develop AI models locally on Northwestern infrastructure. Faculty and staff looking to work with LLMs and other AI models directly can access models securely, including models from OpenAI, through Azure and AWS cloud computing providers. Students, faculty, and staff also have access to LinkedIn Learning, which offers many courses to help you boost your AI literacy and identify ways AI may be useful in your work.

What’s Coming?

As AI use grows, so does the importance of clear guidance. Northwestern IT is actively developing a new AI website—available in the coming weeks—that will bring together practical information on how to get started with AI, which AI tools are available at Northwestern, and how to use them responsibly with University data. A key focus will be data security and privacy, ensuring our community understands what types of information are appropriate to use with AI tools and how institutional safeguards are applied.

The site will also spotlight learning opportunities, including workshops and training offered by Teaching and Learning Technologies and Research Computing and Data Services. Whether you’re curious about experimenting with AI for the first time or looking to deepen your skills, these sessions will provide hands-on guidance and real‑world examples tailored to academic and administrative work.

In addition, several other tools are under review and will be available soon with guidance, including Google Gemini, a subset of Zoom AI Companion meeting features, and Microsoft Copilot Cowork.

More details—and the new AI website—are coming soon. For now, we encourage you to explore Microsoft Copilot, stay curious, and watch for upcoming opportunities to learn how AI can support your work at Northwestern.