The New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) has introduced an artificial intelligence-powered system to improve access to its institutional data resources. The new platform, called IRIS (Institutional Resource Intelligence System), is designed to help students, faculty, and staff quickly find important university information without manually searching through multiple documents and databases. The aim is to make information retrieval faster, smarter, and more efficient.
IRIS works like a chatbot and allows users to ask questions in natural language, similar to how they would interact with AI tools like ChatGPT. However, what makes it unique is that it has been specifically developed for the university’s internal needs. It can distinguish whether a user is asking about a policy, a data definition, or a statistical figure, and then provide a relevant response accordingly. This specialized design helps reduce confusion and saves valuable time for university administrators and researchers.
The system currently pulls information from hundreds of institutional documents, including policy handbooks, reports, historical data tables, and more than 600 metric definitions such as graduation rates, enrollment figures, and retention statistics. According to NJIT officials, the challenge was not the volume of files but the complexity of interpreting dense institutional data accurately and delivering the right information within seconds.
This initiative highlights how AI is being used beyond commercial applications and entering the education sector to support decision-making and operational efficiency. By making institutional knowledge easier to access, NJIT aims to reduce repetitive work, improve administrative productivity, and provide faster insights for planning and academic management.
