The Chronicle of Higher Education
Ask Chron: An AI Research Tool Powered by Chronicle Reporting
 
 
 
 
 
 
Working in higher education means tackling complex issues: How should colleges prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow? What can academic leaders do to restore declining faith in their institutions? What’s the best way to forge partnerships with surrounding communities? 

Now you have a place to ask questions like these and get dependable answers — all based on The Chronicle’s rich archive of reporting on higher ed.

I’m writing today to introduce you to Chron, an experimental chatbot that’s powered by artificial intelligence. We designed this new tool to surface high-quality, accurate insights from more than 130,000 news stories and opinion essays in The Chronicle’s digital archive. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ask Chron a question, and the bot will reply with an answer derived from articles written by Chronicle journalists and contributors, using source material dating back to 1990. Chron can field questions about major trends affecting colleges, student demographics, faculty pay, and more.
 
 
 
Ask Chron on Computer
 
 
Chron’s responses are based solely on The Chronicle’s fact-based journalism, helping ensure you’ll receive trustworthy insights that reflect the breadth and depth of our rigorous reporting. To limit what are known as hallucinations, where an AI bot generates inaccurate information, we’ve instructed Chron not to answer questions that it can’t directly source from our own archive.
 
 
 
 
 
If you’re interested in learning more about the technology underpinning Chron, I invite you to read our FAQ. It’s important to note that, like many AI tools, Chron is very much an experiment. The bot can sometimes get things wrong. I encourage you to click through to the source articles to verify the details in Chron’s answers.

Our goals with Chron are twofold. We built this tool to help you surface useful information from four decades of Chronicle reporting. We see it as another entry point to discover more of our award-winning, human-powered journalism.

We also recognize that artificial intelligence poses significant challenges and opportunities for colleges. We’re experimenting with Chron in the spirit of innovation, to learn more about how AI might be used constructively to serve readers like you. 

Your input is essential to those efforts, which is why I’m inviting you to try Chron and share feedback about your experience. In November, we rolled out Chron in beta as an exclusive benefit for our Print & Digital Access subscribers.

Today, we’re opening up the tool to all readers to try free for the next three weeks.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Please try Chron and share your thoughts about how we can improve it. We welcome your questions and comments, and we’ll use them to make the tool better.

Thank you for taking the time to try Chron and share feedback with us. We look forward to hearing your reflections and ideas.

Sincerely,

Chris Contakes
Chief Technology Officer 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
College Leaders Are Divided on the Risks and Benefits of Generative AI
 
 
LEADERSHIP

College Leaders Are Divided on the Risks and Benefits of Generative AI
By Beth McMurtrie

A new survey highlights how much work is needed to prepare faculty members and students to understand AI tools.
 
 
 
Colleges Begin to Reimagine Learning in an AI World
 
 
TEACHING

Colleges Begin to Reimagine Learning in an AI World
By Beth McMurtrie


They shift to working with AI, not around it.
 
 
 
 
 
How Higher Ed Can Adapt to the Challenges of AI
 
 
THE REVIEW | ESSAY

How Higher Ed Can Adapt to the Challenges of AI
By Joseph E. Aoun

The future is here. Now is the time to make sense of it.
 
 
 
Colleges Face Stiff Competition in the Race for AI Expertise
 
 
THE WORK FORCE

Colleges Face Stiff Competition in the Race for AI Expertise
By Taylor Swaak

Contending for talent is nothing new in higher ed. But with AI raising the stakes, leaders say this time feels different.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Chronicle of Higher Education Logo   ©The Chronicle. All Rights Reserved.
 
 
 

Twitter
   LinkedIn   Facebook   YouTube