UT Sage
UT Sage Tutors
UT Sage is a virtual instructional designer and AI Tutor designed by UT Austin experts to support the responsible use of generative AI in teaching and learning. Instructors can use UT Sage to create interactive chatbots that enhance student engagement and customize learning experiences. UT Sage allows instructors to design tutor sessions on any topic using established principles of learning experience design, while also ensuring student education records are protected. AI tutors coach students in specific topics or lessons related to their coursework.
We are currently in an open comment period for UT Sage. If you have feedback, questions or other comments about the development of Sage, please use the open comment form.
UT Sage Background and Timeline
The first formal briefing on UT Sage with faculty members occurred on Sept. 13, 2024 with the University’s official faculty committee for technology-enhanced education oversight (C14). Regular formal briefings were provided, with requests for input, pilot testers and open comments. In addition, a formal briefing was provided to the Academic Technology Council (ATC) on Sept. 27, 2024. Regular formal briefings were provided to ATC, with requests for input and pilot testers. Open comments were conducted throughout the academic year. Pilot faculty used and provided feedback on UT Sage throughout the Fall of 2024 and Spring of 2025.
See also: Perspectives on Shaping AI for Social Good
In the Spring of 2025, in consultation with Good Systems, the Office of Academic Technology led a working group to develop a framework for the responsible adoption of AI for teaching and learning on campus. That working group included members of the faculty and representatives from Good Systems, as well as other offices, including student conduct, the Center for Teaching and Learning, Enterprise Technology, and the Digital Accessibility Center. Privacy experts from Compliance and Information Security were formally consulted by the working group. These principles were announced at the Responsible AI for Teaching and Learning public convening on May 6, 2025, and were available for public open comment through July 31, 2025. (Interested parties can still input open comments for the committee here.) The convening drew over 100 faculty, students, staff and members of the public, who were invited to provide open comment on the framework. UT Sage was also announced — along with a live demo of UT Sage — at the Good Systems convening, with requests for open feedback and engagement.
See also: UT Unveils Proposed Guidelines for Responsible Use of AI in Teaching and Learning
Why Use UT Sage?
First and foremost, you can ensure that the privacy, security, and copyright and intellectual property rights of you and your students are protected because UT Sage meets the compliance and security guidelines of the University. UT Sage administrators reviewed security, privacy, accessibility, and intellectual property concerns with UT Compliance, the Information Security Office, the Digital Accessibility Office, UT Libraries (Fair Use Librarian), and UT Legal.
In addition, with Sage, faculty train the tutors to customize and tailor the experience for their students. When you create a new tutor, UT Sage will ask a series of questions that will train a custom chatbot using established principles of effective learning experience design, such as starting out with defining what you want students to know and be able to do after engaging with UT Sage. In addition to answering questions about your students, learning outcomes, common misconceptions and activities, you can upload resources that UT Sage will use as the first and best source of information about a topic.
Getting Involved with UT Sage
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Frequently Asked Questions
UT Sage is in open beta. Faculty and staff can get started creating tutors now.
When you create a new tutor, UT Sage will ask a series of questions that will train a custom chatbot using established principles of effective teaching. In addition to answering questions about your students, learning outcomes, common misconceptions and activities, you can upload resources that UT Sage will use as the first and best source of information about a topic.
This is a possible outcome for all AI models, not just UT Sage. Part of responsible engagement with generative AI means being aware of its limitations. Transparency is key. A clear disclaimer about the limitations of generative AI is always present within UT Sage’s interface to remind users of this fact. Just like human tutors, generative AI tools can sometimes miss the mark with construing information. Evaluating information is an important AI literacy skill, and we recommend all instructors teach students the limitations related to accuracy before an AI tutor is introduced as a course resource. Review the Office of Academic Technology’s Addressing the Limitations of Using Generative AI for Learning Guide for more information.
Yes, you can upload your syllabus to Sage, and it will interpret the information for your students.
UT Sage is a platform that is approved for use only by The University of Texas at Austin, which means that your (or your students’) data will be kept securely on the platform. The University does not share any of the resources or interactions with UT Sage with third parties to train LLMs or for marketing purposes.
UT Sage currently uses the large language model (LLM) Claude 3.5 to understand what you say and how to respond.
The platform is a collaboration between the Office of Academic Technology and Instructional Technology Services with backend development from AWS.
