UNE Armidale to provide artificial intelligence tools to all students

The University of New England (UNE) is set to launch an innovative AI platform called Madgwick next month, designed to empower students in building their own AI assistants as study aids. Named after the university’s first vice-chancellor, the Madgwick platform is developed in collaboration with Newcastle, NSW startup Simtheory. This integrated AI workspace allows students to create a personalised team of AI assistants tailored to their unique study habits, incorporating capabilities for search, planning, coding, and research within a unified environment. The initiative aims not only to support students academically but also to equip them with essential AI skills relevant to future workplaces.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Chris Moran emphasises the importance of equitable access to this technology, stating that providing the platform for free ensures all students can benefit. He notes that as AI becomes increasingly prevalent in the workforce, it is crucial for universities to offer such resources. The Madgwick platform will initially provide access to large language models (LLMs), image-generation tools, and various model context protocol (MCP) connectors that integrate with existing university systems. The architecture of Madgwick is model-agnostic, allowing for the introduction of additional models in the future, thereby enhancing the learning experience for UNE students.