AI Tool Matrix

boisestate.ai

Free to use with your Boise State username.

boisestate.ai is a Boise State–developed generative AI platform designed to provide a secure, private environment for faculty, staff, and students. It integrates multiple AI models—including Claude and others—into a single interface to support academic work while prioritizing data privacy and institutional control.

• Prioritizes privacy and institutional data security.

• Integrates multiple models (e.g., Claude) in one platform.

• Designed specifically for use at Boise State.

• Reduces reliance on commercial tools that harvest data.

• *or in the case of ChatGPT or Gemini that have secure enterprise models, it is more cost effective*

• Will evolve with input from Boise State users.

• May not have all the features or polish of commercial tools.

• Early development may mean occasional bugs or limitations.

• Fewer third-party integrations compared to major platforms.

• User interface may feel less intuitive at first.

• Limited public documentation or tutorials (as of now).

http://boisestate.ai webpage

Knowledge base

ChatGPT

There are 500 approved users who can use ChatGPT (see Resources column for request link).

Users can access the tool with their Boise State username outside of the 500 licenses. But this method is not as protected as other licensed AI Tools.

Not Recommended to use the Free version of this tool.

ChatGPT is an AI-powered conversational assistant developed by OpenAI, accessible for free through Boise State. It helps users generate ideas, summarize text, draft writing, and explore topics interactively using natural language.

• Easy-to-use and conversational interface.

• Great for writing, brainstorming, and basic research help.

• Free access through Boise State. Boise State provides 500 licenses to our users. See Resource column for request link.

• Continuously updated with general improvements.

• No installation required—browser-based.

• Can pull from live web content (with user approval).

• Does not include newest GPT models.

• Cannot access real-time or up-to-date web content.

• Output quality varies depending on prompt clarity.

• Lacks personalization features.

Not Recommended to use the Free version of this tool.

Future Considerations:

http://boisestate.ai is a Boise State developed AI Tool that is currently being developed with the eventual goal of being the “primary” Generative AI tool. Keep this in mind when choosing which tool to invest your time in. (This means that ChatGPT could eventually be phased out of being a supported tool in the future.)

Chat GPT PRO

Monthly fee charged to department, see Resources column to request license.

ChatGPT-PRO is a premium version of ChatGPT that offers faster performance, priority access to new features, and enhanced capabilities using the latest AI models. Faculty and staff using PRO can tackle complex projects like course planning, data analysis, and advanced writing with greater speed and depth.

• Access to GPT-4 and other advanced models.

• Faster performance and priority access.

• Handles complex tasks like code, analysis, and long-form writing.

• Supports file uploads and multimodal input.

• Great for faculty doing research or deep planning.

• Not free—monthly subscription required.

• Still cloud-based with data privacy considerations.

• May generate overly confident but inaccurate answers.

• Can be overkill for simple needs.

• No Boise State customization or data integration.

ChatGPT EDU Subscription Request

Google Gemini (OIT)

Free with your Boise State Username.

Gemini (formerly Bard) is Google’s generative AI assistant, integrated with Google Search and Workspace. It can help brainstorm, answer questions, or provide writing support, drawing on real-time web information when needed.

• Can pull from live web content (with user approval).

• Helpful for ideation, summarization, and quick searches.

• Lightweight, browser-based access.

• Visual response formatting is clean and readable.

• Limited memory or context handling.

• Not integrated directly into Boise State systems.

Gemini website

Google Gemini WorkSpace (OIT)

Monthly fee charged to department, see Resources column to request license.

Gemini for Google Workspace enhances tools like Gmail, Docs, Slides, and Sheets with AI-powered suggestions, summaries, and content creation features. It streamlines productivity by drafting emails, generating presentations, or visualizing data with a few prompts.

• Embeds directly into Docs, Slides, Gmail, etc.

• Saves time by drafting, summarizing, and revising content.

• Good for productivity tasks and creative work.

• Intuitive for users familiar with Google Workspace.

• No extra tool to learn—built into existing tools.

• Available only in certain Workspace editions.

• May require enabling features at the admin level.

• Sometimes lacks deep context or nuance.

• Security settings may vary depending on the user’s role.

• Responses can feel generic if prompts are vague.

Gemini for Workspace License Request

NotebookLM (OIT)

NotebookLM is an AI-powered research and note-taking assistant from Google. It allows users to upload their own documents and then ask questions, generate summaries, and explore ideas directly from that personalized content set.

• Tailors responses based on your own documents.

• Ideal for synthesizing research or course materials.

• Summarizes and answers questions about long texts.

• Clean interface designed for academic use.

• Built by Google with strong search lineage.

• Cross-Domain sharing issues (it has trouble sharing between @boisestate.edu emails and @u.boisestate.edu emails.

• Only supports certain file types.

• Less well-known—may require learning curve.

• Needs uploaded documents to function well.

• No real-time web or external data access.

• Still in early release/beta stages.

NotebookLM