University of Houston IT Plans to Invest in Artificial Intelligence

The University of Houston (UH) is planning to invest heavily in artificial intelligence, starting with an AI Center of Excellence (CoE) and chatbot.

According to the University Information Technology (UIT) department’s strategic plan, UIT has 11 priorities for for 2025-2029:

• Information security
• Network connectivity
• Unified communications
• Data management and analytics
• Shared services
• Data center cloud integration
• Academic technologies
• AI integration
• Expanding remote learning access
• Research computing
• Internet of Things (IoT)

Of those, nearly half include specific references to future implementations: network connectivity, unified communications, shared services, expanding remote access and AI integration.

The university’s AI solutions manager, Mark Rosanes, will lead the AI CoE upon its creation. The center will be tasked with creating an acceptable use policy for the university and deploying an AI chatbot pilot to all departments.

AI tools will be implemented to provide advanced network analytics, improve call center services, eliminate redundancies and improve standardization.

Non-AI initiatives noted in the UIT plan include the implementation of a scalable research security program, modernizing its vulnerability management program, implementing cloud Wi-Fi management tools, expanding its unified dashboard, transforming general purpose classrooms and replacing traditional emergency phones with digital alternatives.