News & Alerts

For organizations that rely on survey data to make decisions, the path from raw responses to actionable insight has always been frustratingly slow. Analysts often need to navigate multiple tools, wait on pre-processed dashboards, or depend on staff to manually interpret results, a workflow that limits agility and delays understanding and acting on the data.

It’s time for a little digital housekeeping. Files, emails, and tabs can pile up fast, so it’s always a good idea to set aside some time to “redd up” (that's Pittsburghese for “tidy up”) your digital space. Here are a few simple ways to get started.

Pitt is expanding student access to Claude for Education as part of Generative AI @ Pitt, a Pitt Digital initiative providing students, faculty, and staff with secure, vetted generative AI tools for teaching, learning, research, and administrative work. Rather than requiring a single platform, the University is offering multiple options — including Claude for Education, Google Gemini, Google NotebookLM, Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, and PittGPT — to give the Pitt community flexibility while ensuring consistent privacy and data protections.

Did you know that your student technology account can get you way more than just email and Wi-Fi? Pitt students can access tools, software, and services worth more than $2,500 in retail value! If that’s news to you, here are some of the tech perks that can make your student life a whole lot easier.

Pitt is setting a national precedent for AI in higher education through its partnership with Anthropic and Amazon Web Services, which provides students, faculty, and staff with access to Claude for Education. Pitt is the first university to embed the platform into its own AWS cloud infrastructure, enabling the University to build custom, secure applications at an institutional scale. Claude for Education uses Socratic questioning to help students reach solutions on their own and can support work across disciplines—from humanities research to data analysis to health sciences. 

Back in 2021, we discovered Microsoft Sway and were amazed by its ability to transform our presentations. Its dynamic design engine and narrative storytelling power were revolutionary, especially compared to our mediocre-at-best design skills in PowerPoint. But a lot has changed in the past four years. Namely, PowerPoint is now equipped with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, bringing AI-powered design and content assistance into the mix. So, can Sway still amaze in the AI era?

Effective Feb. 11, Pitt Digital is updating the requirements for University Computing Account passwords to better protect the Pitt community and align with security best practices. With the new 15-character minimum, we encourage you to think of your password as a passphrase—a memorable sequence of words that's easier to remember than a traditional password. Key changes:

If your calendar is dispersed across multiple spreadsheets, apps, and half-forgotten printed planners, this is your sign to consolidate your schedule with Outlook Calendar. As part of Microsoft 365 (which you get for free with your Pitt credentials, btw), you have access to your daily plans in whatever format you need. The mobile app, your web browser, and the desktop app are all available for you to check your schedule anytime, from anywhere.

You probably wouldn’t hand a stranger your wallet, share your Social Security number over the phone, or leave your front door unlocked when you leave for the day. But online, many of us take risks with our personal information that we’d never consider in real life and often without realizing it.

It’s the time of year when you’re probably making big plans to change your life — and we’re no exception. But our new year’s resolution doesn’t require you to overhaul your morning routine or purchase a gym membership. Instead, this year, we’re resolving to work smarter with the tools we already have.

Whether you're heading home for the holidays, catching up with family and friends, or finally taking a well-deserved break, the last thing you want is a cybersecurity incident to ruin your time off. While you're focused on relaxing and celebrating, cybercriminals are counting on you to let your guard down. Staying safe doesn't mean you need to become a cybersecurity expert overnight. With a few simple precautions, you can protect yourself while still enjoying everything the season has to offer.

Electronic health records use proprietary reference codes that vary from hospital to hospital, creating a significant barrier for medical researchers trying to share and analyze data across institutions. Christopher Horvat, a Pitt critical care medicine professor, brought this challenge to Pitt's Cloud Innovation Center, where a team developed an AI-powered solution. The tool automatically maps proprietary codes to standard dictionaries and converts the data into a universally shareable format—potentially transforming how hospitals collaborate on research.

Pitt has announced a new Hub for AI and Data Science Leadership (HAIL), which will serve as a coordinating center to connect AI innovation currently siloed in individual classrooms and departments across the University. The hub aims to take a practical approach to making AI accessible and career-relevant for students while listening to employer workforce demands — complementing Pitt's ongoing rollout of Claude for Education.

Good prompts matter because they can save you time, headache, and tokens — the behind-the-scenes “currency” of generative AI. While most of us have chatted with a GenAI tool, you might need some tips to level up your prompt game. Here’s everything you need to know about what makes prompts work and why getting it right is so important.

For decades, healthcare researchers have faced a frustrating obstacle before they can even begin their work: deciphering what their data actually means. Medical records use proprietary codes that vary from hospital to hospital, requiring researchers to spend hundreds of hours manually mapping these codes to standardized formats before analysis can begin. 

The newest Generative AI @ Pitt tool is now available to all faculty and staff with student access coming soon. Claude for Education is designed to go beyond simple answers to deepen understanding and spark learning — you know, what we do here at Pitt. 

Pitt Digital is working with the University's Office of Human Resources to implement a digital assistant on the OHR website. This chatbot helps employees by providing quick and efficient access to HR information and resources, streamlining the process of addressing inquiries and enhancing communication.

The University has launched Claude for Education for faculty and staff through a one-year partnership with Anthropic and Amazon Web Services. CIO Mark Henderson emphasized that faculty retain full authority over AI use in their courses, and Pitt Digital will continue supporting additional tools including PittGPT, Google Gemini, and Copilot. Student access will be added starting during winter recess.

The University is partnering with Interfolio to enhance faculty tenure, promotion, and review procedures. This collaboration, supported by Pitt Digital, aims to reduce administrative burdens and improve transparency, allowing faculty to focus on their academic responsibilities. Pitt Digital's involvement underscores the University's commitment to leveraging technology to streamline operations and support strategic goals in academic excellence.

Generative AI can feel like a colleague, a trusted assistant, or even a confidant. Its responses are so humanlike that it’s easy to forget you’re talking to a machine. But the truth is, unlike when you’re speaking with a real person offline, the information you provide a GenAI tool may be read by someone else, saved where you can never delete it, or even repeated to another user.It can be difficult to navigate the web of information and misinformation surrounding GenAI and how it uses your data. So, let’s bust some of the most common GenAI myths to help you chat with confidence.

Congratulations to John Duska, Pitt's chief information security officer, on being named one of the "10 CISOs to Watch in Pittsburgh" by CISO Whisperer, a cybersecurity news and analysis publication. CISO Whisperer recognized Duska for leading security operations across one of the region's largest university systems, noting his focus on resilience, research protection, and campuswide cyber readiness supporting both academic and healthcare operations.

Between finals, year-end work deadlines, gift shopping, travel planning, and everything else life throws your way, the holidays can feel less like a break and more like another project to manage. Good thing the Generative AI @ Pitt tools are expert project managers that can help make the logistical holiday chaos a little less overwhelming.

You've done all the readings. Highlighted the important parts. Took detailed notes. Then, you’re suddenly trying to squeeze in a 3 a.m. study session but your study group is sound asleep. That's where NotebookLM can help. It’s your always available study buddy that’s not like other GenAI’s.

A strange side effect of generative AI is hallucinations, or when a GenAI tool confidently delivers completely made-up information. Maybe you asked for a works cited page and received citations for articles that don’t exist. Or you’re given a plausible-seeming statistic that turns out to be fake. Whatever way these hallucinations come up, it can be hard to tell what’s true and what’s a believable lie.

Pitt Digital users to upgrade their systems from macOS 13 Ventura, which will lose vendor support on Nov. 30, 2025. Users are advised to update to macOS 14 Sonoma to ensure continued security updates and support. Staying current with operating system updates maintains security and compatibility with University systems.