SAVY: Smarter Than Ever with GPT-4!

SAVY avatar and wordmark with speech balloon that says Hi, how can I help you?

Turn to your student virtual assistant for guidance on navigating campus, finding resources and answering your questions about York.

About SAVY

SAVY now uses GPT-4, a Generative AI. With GPT-4, SAVY leverages a type of artificial intelligence that creates new content by learning from existing details through understanding patterns and structures in the data it was trained on. Essentially, SAVY powered by GPT-4 is like a robot friend that learns from a bunch of material about York and then uses that knowledge to answer the questions you have. Pretty neat, right? ðŸ˜Š

SAVY serves as your first point of contact and is designed to provide relevant and personalized answers to questions, and help you make informed decisions over the course of your academic journey at York.

SAVY uses artificial intelligence to communicate with current undergraduate students through a chat interface. You can chat with SAVY on smart devices and computers at any time, year-round and get help with specific questions such as:

  • where to find key resources;
  • registrarial questions about how to enrol, understanding grades, course and program changes;
  • financial services questions about fees, scholarships and financial aid, including OSAP;
  • mental health and well-being resources;
  • academic advising referrals;
  • campus life and events;
  • career advising information; and,
  • campus services.

What can’t SAVY do? 

SAVY is still learning, which means it won’t be able to answer every question you may have about York – but we’re getting there! Currently, SAVY can’t answer questions about: 

  • admissions; 
  • tuition and individual course costs; 
  • available courses; and, 
  • program and course requirements. 

The great thing about SAVY is, as more questions continue to be asked, the team managing this tool can identify what community members may need and address them accordingly. Don’t feel discouraged if the bot can’t answer your question just yet, we are improving this technology daily to better serve those who need guidance. 

Awards & Recognition

2021 Gartner Eye on Innovation Award

Gartner Eye on Innovation Award for Higher Education Winner 2021

This award recognizes the innovative use of technology-enabled capabilities in student experience.
Watch the SAVY submission video.

2021 CUCCIO Innovation Award

CUCCIO Innovation Award Winner 2021

This is awarded to information technology projects or initiatives that have significantly advanced teaching, learning, research or administration within an institution or in the community.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

No. SAVY was built to provide general information but does not provide the same service as the staff in advising centres.

Right now, you can ask SAVY questions related to your student account, making changes to your program and courses, financial aid and scholarships and mental health and well-being. SAVY is working on being able to help you with student life, campus services, career development and more very soon.

Yes, it will work on your smart device.

All undergraduate students, and students attending Osgoode Hall Law School, have access to SAVY. 

Subject matter experts across the University contributed content to the virtual assistant to get started. The more SAVY is used, the better and more targeted the answers will get.

SAVY uses multiple in-house (on York campuses) servers to ensure robust data protection and maintain personal information privacy. While SAVY uses Microsoft GPT to help generate responses, the data you provide stays with SAVY. SAVY doesn’t share your information with Microsoft or any other third parties.

If you are enrolled in classes at York or have an active Passport York account, you can access SAVY at any time.

Ask for help by using the Virtual Assistant Technical Help Form on eClass.