Different Ways of Experiencing Generative AI Tools
- OpenWebUI provided by ITSO
- Sign in to OpenWebUI at https://openwebui.hkust.edu.hk with a HKUST staff or student account.
- Provides many enhanced features over the current HKUST GenAI Platform and has the same level of chat data security protection
- Support web search
- allow upload of more document formats, support voice input (including Cantonese), and more
- HKUST GenAI Platform provided by ITSO
- Sign in to HKUST GenAI Platform (the Platform) at https://genai.ust.hk with a HKUST staff or student account.
- Most of the above public chatbots have stated in their usage terms that chat data may be used for future training of the AI models. The chat content is also uploaded to cloud. This is a concern if users are using it for confidential HKUST documents.
- The Platform provides functionality similar to the public OpenAI ChatGPT, but with the chat data protection following our Cybersecurity guidelines.
- For details of the latest features offered by the Platform, please visit this webpage.
- Microsoft Copilot Chat or Microsoft 365 Copilot
- Accessed from a webpage, a desktop and a mobile app. Refer to this webpage (refer to the section, “Where to find the copilot app”) for how to access them. Refer to Usage Tips on Microsoft Copilot for details.
- When signing in with your HKUST account, your data with Copilot Chat is protected by enterprise-grade data protection, ensuring that prompts and responses are handled securely and are not used to train foundation AI models.
- With an additional subscription, staff members can enable Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium) for a fully licensed Microsoft 365 Copilot experience which includes priority access of AI usage and deep integration with advanced AI capabilities in Microsoft 365 apps. More details can be found in Usage Tips on Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Comparison for Generative AI Tools
|
|
OpenWebUI |
HKUST GenAI Platform |
Microsoft Copilot Chat |
Microsoft 365 Copilot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Access |
HKUST Staff and Students |
HKUST Staff and Students |
HKUST Staff and Students |
Licensed HKUST Staff only |
|
Cost |
Models vary in cost. Users can add more credits in their own expenses after they spend the $8 monthly credits. |
Free to use |
Requires additional license | |
| Key Features |
- Multiple AI models - Web search support - Voice input - on-going system enhancements |
- Multiple AI models - Vision/image capabilities - API access |
- Real-time web search - PDF analysis in Edge - Creative content generation |
- Priority access for better performance and availability for AI usage - Deep integration and advanced AI capabilities with Microsoft 365 apps, data and services |
| Best For |
- Handling sensitive university data - Research requiring data protection - interact with AI models with new features and experience |
- Handling sensitive university data - Research requiring data protection - API model access |
- General web research - Quick fact-checking - Creative brainstorming |
- Office productivity tasks - Automated reporting - Team collaboration |
|
Availability of Models |
GPT-4o-mini, GPT-4o, o1-mini, o3-mini, Llama33-70b, Llama-4-scout, deepseek-r1, HKGAI-V1 |
GPT-4o-mini, GPT-4o, GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-3.5 Turbo, Gemini-1.5 Pro, Gemini-1.5 Flash, Gemini-1.0 Pro, o1-mini, o3-mini, Llama33-70b, deepseek-r1, HKGAI-V1 |
Powered by Microsoft proprietary foundation large language models which are built on OpenAI's technologies |
|
| Unique Advantage | University-managed secure environment | University-managed secure environment | Free access to AI models with internet integration | Deep integration with organizational data |
|
Real Time Access to Internet Information |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Use with Confidential Data * |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes, only when sign in with HKUST accounts |
Yes |
* Refer to Generative AI Usage Guidelines
https://itso.hkust.edu.hk/services/general-it-services/generative-ai-tools/guidelines
When to Choose Which:
- Confidential Work: All four GenAI tools above can be used with confidential data. For Microsoft Copilot Chat, this capability is applicable only when users are logged in with an HKUST account.
- Real-Time Info Needs: OpenWebUI, Microsoft Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot
- Office Productivity: Microsoft 365 Copilot (e.g., report generation, email management)
- Creative Projects: All for GenAI tools offer image generation
- Budget Constraints: Microsoft Copilot (free) vs M365 Copilot (licensed)
For academic projects requiring data protection, OpenWebUI and HKUST GenAI are ideal. Microsoft Copilot excels in open web research, while M365 Copilot shines in Office document automation. All tools require HKUST login for maximum data protection when handling institutional information.