AI Software & Tools
Yale Provided Tools
These tools are provided to all Yale community members and are an excellent entry point for exploring generative AI.
Clarity Platform
- Description: The Clarity Platform provides access to AI chatbots similar to ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot Chat, housed within Yale's secure infrastructure. It can help write emails and reports, generate images, describe and analyze uploaded images, summarize uploaded documents, and assist with coding.
- Who can use it: Staff, faculty, and students
- Pricing: Free
- How to Access: ai-chat.yale.edu
- More info: ai.yale.edu/yales-ai-tools-and-resources/clarity-platform
- Data Classification: High (with some exceptions, such as ePHI — refer to Clarity Platform Security page)
Copilot Chat
- Description: A secure AI chatbot using GPT-4 and DALL·E 3 that does not use your conversations to train AI models or share data with OpenAI. Functionality is split into Work and Web tabs. Supports writing emails, reports, generating images, and analyzing uploaded documents.
- Who can use it: Staff, faculty, and students (18 years of age or above)
- Pricing: Free
- How to Access: copilot.microsoft.com (log in with Yale email). Students: m365.cloud.microsoft
- More info: ai.yale.edu/yales-ai-tools-and-resources/copilot-chat
- Data Classification: Moderate (Web tab), High (Work tab)
Zoom AI Companion
- Description: An AI feature within Zoom that transcribes meetings, generates summarized meeting notes, answers questions about a meeting, and provides action items.
- Who can use it: Staff and faculty
- Pricing: Free (with Zoom account)
- How to Access: Enabled by default for everyone with a Yale Zoom account
- More info: ai.yale.edu/yales-ai-tools-and-resources/zoom-ai-companion
- Data Classification: High
Google Gemini and NotebookLM
- Description: Google Gemini's free tier is an AI assistant for drafting emails, summarizing documents, and generating creative content. NotebookLM is a research and note-taking tool that helps analyze, summarize, and interact with uploaded documents using Gemini language models.
- Who can use it: Staff, faculty, and students (18 years of age or above)
- Pricing: Free
- How to Access: Google Gemini | NotebookLM (log in with Yale Google Workspace / EliApps account)
- More info: ai.yale.edu/yales-ai-tools-and-resources/google-gemini
- Data Classification: Moderate
Power BI Copilot
Microsoft 365 Copilot
- Description: An AI assistant integrated into Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams), powered by GPT-4. Supports drafting content, analyzing data in Excel, creating presentations in PowerPoint, and more.
- Who can use it: Staff and faculty (18 years of age or above)
- Pricing: $30 per user per month
- How to Access: Submit the required form
- More info: ai.yale.edu/yales-ai-tools-and-resources/microsoft-365-copilot
- Data Classification: High
Microsoft 365 Copilot Studio
- Description: An AI-powered platform that enables users to create and share custom agents. Access is included with an M365 Copilot license.
- Who can use it: Staff and faculty (18 years of age or above)
- Pricing: $30 per user per month (included with M365 Copilot)
- How to Access: Submit the required form
- Data Classification: High (with some exceptions such as ePHI)
Teams Premium
Developer Tools
These tools highlight more advanced options for building new Yale tools and experiences. For additional details about research support, visit the Yale Center for Research Computing.
GitHub Copilot
Power BI Copilot (Developer)
Azure AI
- Description: Provides access to advanced AI models from Microsoft, OpenAI, Mistral, Meta, Stability AI, and more, all hosted in Microsoft's Azure cloud. Developers can use Azure services to build applications utilizing these models.
- Who can use it: Staff and faculty
- Pricing: Based on usage
- How to Access: AI request review process: yaledata.yale.edu
- More info: ai.yale.edu/yales-ai-tools-and-resources/azure-ai
- Data Classification: SPA required per app
AWS Q Business
- Description: Allows developers to build AI-powered assistants with access to enterprise data. Automatically selects the best language model for each request. Developers who want more control over model selection should consider AWS Bedrock.
- Who can use it: Staff and faculty
- Pricing: Based on usage
- How to Access: AI request review process: yaledata.yale.edu
- More info: ai.yale.edu/yales-ai-tools-and-resources/aws-q-business
- Data Classification: SPA required per app
AWS Bedrock
- Description: A fully managed service providing access to foundational AI models from AI21 Labs, Anthropic, Cohere, Meta, Mistral AI, Stability AI, and Amazon. Suitable for developing AI applications with flexibility in model selection and robust security.
- Who can use it: Staff and faculty
- Pricing: Based on usage
- How to Access: AI request review process: yaledata.yale.edu
- More info: ai.yale.edu/yales-ai-tools-and-resources/aws-bedrock
- Data Classification: SPA required per app
Popular No-Cost Tools
These tools are popular options that can enhance productivity and creativity. This list is for informational purposes only — Yale does not endorse these tools. They are for personal use only and are not provided by the university. Use only when handling low-risk, unsecured data for experimentation and collaboration.
OpenAI ChatGPT
- Description: An AI chatbot developed by OpenAI. The free version provides access to the GPT-4o large language model. Features real-time voice mode on mobile. Note: By default, ChatGPT uses conversations for model training — users should opt out in settings.
- Pricing: Free and paid plans
- How to Access: chatgpt.com
- Data Classification: Low only
Google Gemini (Personal)
- Description: An AI chatbot developed by Google. The free version can create images from text prompts and is well-integrated with Google Search and other Google products.
- Pricing: Free and paid plans
- How to Access: gemini.google.com
- Data Classification: Low only
Anthropic Claude
- Description: An AI chatbot developed by Anthropic. Excels at summarizing and reasoning over large amounts of text and images. The Claude 3.5 Sonnet model is particularly strong at coding tasks.
- Pricing: Free and paid plans
- How to Access: claude.ai
- Data Classification: Low only
Meta.ai
- Description: An AI chatbot from Meta that uses the Llama open-source models.
- Pricing: Free (some features require a Facebook or Instagram account)
- How to Access: meta.ai
- Data Classification: Low only
Perplexity AI
- Description: An AI-powered search engine that delivers synthesized answers in natural language with citations and follow-up suggestions, rather than a list of links.
- Pricing: Free and paid plans
- How to Access: perplexity.ai
- Data Classification: Low only
Consensus
- Description: An academic search engine powered by AI that searches peer-reviewed academic literature.
- Pricing: Free and paid plans
- How to Access: consensus.app
- Data Classification: Low only
OpenEvidence
- Description: An AI-powered medical search engine developed by Harvard and MIT. Provides evidence-based summaries, links to research articles and clinical guidelines, and standard output formats for clinical workflows. Use of Yale personally identifiable data or protected health information is prohibited.
- Pricing: Free
- How to Access: openevidence.com
- Data Classification: Low only
Doximity GPT
- Description: An AI chatbot built on ChatGPT focused on clinical administrative workflows — chart notes, patient education materials, clinical references, letters of support, and insurance appeals. Use of Yale personally identifiable data or protected health information is prohibited.
- Pricing: Free (for verified U.S. clinicians and medical students)
- How to Access: doximity.com/doximity-gpt-info
- Data Classification: Low only
AI Training & Courses
LinkedIn Learning (AI Courses)
IT Foundations: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Yale Center for Research Computing (YCRC) — Python & Code Training
- Provider: Yale Center for Research Computing
- Format: Online guides and training
- Who it's for: Researchers, developers, faculty, and staff
- How to Access: docs.ycrc.yale.edu/clusters-at-yale/guides/python/
- Topics covered: Python programming, research computing, AI/ML development
StatLab
AI Events & Series
- Provider: AI at Yale
- Format: In-person and virtual events, workshops, symposiums
- Who it's for: All Yale community members
- How to Access: ai.yale.edu/find-ai-events
- Notes: Save the Date — AI at Yale Symposium, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. Subscribe for monthly AI at Yale email updates.
AI Support Contacts & Teams
Yale Center for Research Computing (YCRC)
- Service Scope: YCRC is Yale's core facility for advanced research computing, operating under the Office of the Provost. It provides domain-specific expertise in computational research, manages Yale's high-performance computing (HPC) clusters and storage infrastructure, and offers comprehensive technical support for researchers running AI and machine learning workloads. Services include cluster account setup, GPU access (including Provost AI Initiative GPUs), Python and coding training, and one-on-one research support consultations.
- Who they help: Researchers, faculty, and staff with computational and AI/ML needs
- How to reach them: research.computing.yale.edu | research.computing@yale.edu
Yale Library — Computational Methods & Data
- Service Scope: Yale Library helps researchers get started with AI, evaluate AI outputs, and integrate AI tools into research, teaching, and learning. Services include one-on-one research consultations, guidance on data privacy and copyright when using AI with licensed content, workshops on topics such as text mining, machine learning, and coding with AI tools, and support for reproducibility and research data management. The Computational Methods and Data team also supports GPU-accelerated machine learning projects via the DH Lab's Machine Learning Cube.
- Who they help: Researchers, faculty, and students across all disciplines
- How to reach them:
- Jordan Bratt (Computational Methods & Data): jordan.bratt@yale.edu
- Ted Ellsworth: ted.ellsworth@yale.edu
- Gavi Levy Haskell (Research Data Management): gavi.levyhaskell@yale.edu — book a consultation
- More info: library.yale.edu/help-and-research-support/research-support/using-ai-research
Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning
- Service Scope: The Poorvu Center supports faculty and students in navigating AI in teaching and learning contexts. It works with faculty to evolve curricula, incorporate AI into course content, and make informed decisions about AI use in the classroom. It also provides AI guidance for students on using tools responsibly and in compliance with course policies. The Poorvu Center co-developed Yale's AI Literacy Framework with Yale Library and collaborates on a triage model to route faculty and student AI questions to the right support.
- Who they help: Faculty, instructors, graduate students, and undergraduate students
- How to reach them: askpoorvucenter@yale.edu
- More info: poorvucenter.yale.edu/ai-guidelines
Office of the Provost — AI Initiatives
- Service Scope: The Office of the Provost coordinates campus-wide and interdisciplinary AI initiatives at Yale, including AI seed grant programs, the AI at Yale Symposium, and cross-institutional AI strategy. The AI Initiatives program manager serves as a navigator for faculty and staff engaging with AI at a university-wide level, and is the point of contact for listing new resources on the AI Research Resource Map.
- Who they help: Faculty and staff leading or joining AI initiatives; researchers seeking seed funding
- How to reach them: Connie Steel — connie.steel@yale.edu
Center for Collaborative Arts and Media (CCAM)
- Service Scope: CCAM supports interdisciplinary exploration at the intersection of technology and the arts. Its AI Incubator program provides resources, mentorship, and community for projects that combine AI with creative and artistic practice. CCAM is a resource for faculty and students whose AI work spans technical and humanistic or artistic domains.
- Who they help: Faculty and students working at the intersection of AI and creative/artistic disciplines
- How to reach them: Matthew Suttor — matthew.suttor@yale.edu
- More info: ccam.yale.edu/research/ai-incubator
Office of Research Development (YRD)
- Service Scope: YRD advances Yale's research enterprise by providing strategic guidance on federal and external funding opportunities. For AI-related research, YRD assists with team formation for large multi-PI grants, proposal development and narrative strengthening, competitive feedback through red team reviews, and intelligence on relevant funding opportunities including AI-focused grants. It also maintains a database of funding sources in InfoReady and hosts collaboration and networking events.
- Who they help: Faculty pursuing large-scale external research funding
- How to reach them:
Administrative Data Governance
- Service Scope: Yale's Administrative Data Governance office oversees data policy and governance for Yale staff, including guidelines for the appropriate use of AI tools with institutional data. It is the primary source for Yale's staff AI guidelines and maintains the AI request review process for developer tools.
- How to reach them: yaledata.yale.edu
- Resources: Yale University AI Guidelines for Staff
University Privacy Office
- Service Scope: The University Privacy Office provides guidance on privacy considerations when using AI tools, including what types of data should and should not be entered into AI systems, and how Yale's data classification levels apply to AI use cases.
- How to reach them: privacy.yale.edu/resources/ai-and-privacy
Data Intensive Social Science Center (DISSC)
- Service Scope: DISSC is Yale's central hub for data-intensive social science research. It supports researchers across the full research lifecycle, including data acquisition and licensing, secure computing environments, research reproducibility, survey design, and one-on-one consultations. Its AI and Machine Learning program specifically supports social science researchers integrating AI/ML methods into their work. DISSC also offers workshops on emerging AI methods and access to social science software.
- Who they help: Social science researchers, faculty, staff, and students
- How to reach them: dissc@yale.edu | Office hours: calendly.com/dissc-yale/office-hours
- More info: dissc.yale.edu
Biomedical Informatics & Data Science (BIDS)
- Service Scope: BIDS engages researchers across Yale to promote equitable and sustainable health through informatics and data science. Its research areas include privacy-protecting data sharing, distributed analytics, AI model evaluation, and biomedical data indexing. BIDS hosts an active NLP/LLM Interest Group and offers degree programs, fellowships, and training for those working at the intersection of AI and biomedical research. It partners with scientists across basic science and clinical domains.
- Who they help: Medical and biomedical researchers, clinicians, and students in health-related disciplines
- How to reach them: informatics@yale.edu
- More info: medicine.yale.edu/biomedical-informatics-data-science
AI Policies & Guidelines
Yale University AI Guidelines for Staff
- Issued by: Administrative Data Governance
- Applies to: All Yale staff
- Summary: Guidelines governing appropriate use of AI tools by Yale staff, including data handling expectations.
- Full document: yaledata.yale.edu/ai-guidelines-for-staff
Guidelines for the Use of Generative AI Tools
AI and Privacy
- Issued by: University Privacy Office
- Applies to: All Yale community members
- Summary: Guidance on privacy considerations when using AI tools, including what data should and should not be entered into AI systems.
- Full document: privacy.yale.edu/resources/ai-and-privacy
Using AI in Research
AI Guidelines for Teaching and Learning
- Issued by: Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning
- Applies to: Faculty and instructors
- Summary: Guidance on incorporating AI into courses, including syllabus language, academic integrity, and pedagogical considerations.
- Full document: poorvucenter.yale.edu/ai-guidelines
Data Classification Policy
- Issued by: Yale Cybersecurity
- Applies to: All Yale community members
- Summary: Defines Yale's data classification levels (Low, Moderate, High) which determine which AI tools can be used with which types of data.
- Full document: cybersecurity.yale.edu/data-classification
Security & Privacy Assessment (SPA) Process
- Issued by: Yale Cybersecurity
- Applies to: Staff and faculty deploying AI applications
- Summary: Developer-facing AI tools (Azure AI, AWS Bedrock, AWS Q Business) require a Security & Privacy Assessment before use with specific applications.
- Full document: cybersecurity.yale.edu/spa
AI Research Resources
Resources specifically for Yale researchers standing up AI research projects. Full resource map
Compute
Data
Code
Funding
Community
Yale uses the following data classification levels referenced throughout this article:
- Low — Public or non-sensitive data. Safe for use in personal, no-cost tools.
- Moderate — Internal data with limited sensitivity.
- High — Sensitive institutional data. Only use in Yale-secured tools.
- SPA required — A Security & Privacy Assessment is required before use with specific apps.
Full details: https://cybersecurity.yale.edu/data-classification
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What AI tools are available to all Yale students, faculty, and staff?
A: The Yale Provided Tools available to the entire Yale community are: Clarity Platform, Copilot Chat, and Google Gemini / NotebookLM. Some tools like Zoom AI Companion and Power BI Copilot are limited to staff and faculty.
Q: What free AI tools can I use right now without requesting access?
A: Clarity Platform, Copilot Chat, and Google Gemini / NotebookLM are all free and immediately accessible with your Yale credentials.
Q: What AI tools can handle High classification data?
A: Clarity Platform, Copilot Chat (Work tab), Zoom AI Companion, Power BI Copilot, M365 Copilot, M365 Copilot Studio, and Teams Premium are all approved for High classification data.
Q: Can I use ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini for Yale work?
A: These are personal-use tools not endorsed by Yale. They should only be used with Low classification (non-sensitive, non-identifiable) data. For work involving sensitive data, use Yale Provided Tools like Clarity Platform or Copilot Chat instead.
Q: I'm a developer — what tools are available to build AI applications?
A: See the Developer Tools section. Options include GitHub Copilot (coding assistant), Azure AI, AWS Bedrock, and AWS Q Business. Most require going through the AI request review process at yaledata.yale.edu.
Q: How do I request access to Microsoft 365 Copilot or Teams Premium?
A: Submit a request via the required form.
Q: Where can I learn more about AI tools and get training?
A: See Section 2 (AI Training & Courses) for LinkedIn Learning, YCRC training, StatLab, and upcoming AI events, including the AI at Yale Symposium on April 28, 2026.
Q: Who do I contact for help with AI tools?
A: See Section 3 (AI Support Contacts & Teams) for a full list of teams. For research-specific support, start with Yale Library or the Office of the Provost AI Initiatives. For teaching support, contact the Poorvu Center.
Q: I'm a researcher — where do I start with AI at Yale?
A: Start with the AI Research Resource Map. See Section 5 for compute, data, code, funding, and community resources. You can also reach out to Yale Library (jordan.bratt@yale.edu) or the Office of the Provost AI Initiatives (connie.steel@yale.edu) for navigation help.
Q: Are there AI seed grants available at Yale?
A: Yes — the Office of the Provost runs AI Seed Grants with a CFP launching in Fall via InfoReady (yale.infoready4.com). Other options include ASCEND, Planetary Solutions, and the CCAM AI Incubator. See Section 5 (Funding) for details.
Q: What are Yale's policies on AI use?
A: See Section 4 (AI Policies & Guidelines) for links to all relevant Yale policies, including Provost guidelines, staff AI guidelines, privacy guidance, and the data classification policy.