AI: UT AI Hub Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I get API access to the UT AI Hub or UT Verse?
  • Thank you for your interest in API access to the UT AI Hub and UT Verse. We are currently evaluating options for supporting API access and determining the appropriate management and chargeback model. Until that process is complete, API access is unavailable. We will share updates with the community as soon as a decision has been made.  
What is the difference between AI Hub and UT Verse?
  • Both are hosted in a secure cloud environment, and user data is not used to improve AI models. AI Hub provides access to multiple popular language models (e.g., ChatGPT, Opus/Sonnet, Gemini) for everyday work. UT Verse is an OIT-built platform shaped by the UT community and currently includes AI chat, translation, and natural voice generation.
How do I get departmental training on AI products provided by OIT?
  • Yes. Submit a ticket with the audience size, the AI product, and the tasks/use cases you want to cover.
Can AI help me write code? 
  • Yes. UT Verse and AI Hub can generate code through chat, though results vary by model and code language. You can also use GitHub Copilot either in your IDE or as a CLI. 
What CLI tools can I use?
  • You can use GitHub Copilot CLI or with IDE. It is available through GitHub Enterprise and requires purchasing a license. To get started, use this page for details and to submit the request form to set up your account and organization:  https://utk.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/2277/OIT-Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=138142 
Claude models on AI Hub tells "cannot return results due to content filtering".
  • AI Hub uses guardrails to block sensitive topics, and those settings cannot be changed. If you think it is a false positive, start a new chat and rephrase the request. If it continues, try Microsoft Copilot or UT Verse (and make sure Copilot is logged into your UT account).
Can I increase/upgrade my token limit / quota in the AI Hub?

  • Yes. Your department can fund an expanded AI Hub usage allowance ranging from $100 to $1,000 per month (billed $600–$11,400 annually), replacing your default allowance. Requests are submitted online and require approval from a Dean, Director, or Department Head.

Can I have access to Claude Cowork since Claude is part of AI Hub?
  • Claude Cowork is still in testing phases and is not generally available for use from Microsoft. We will continue to check regularly, and once it is available, we will investigate usage in our tenant. Stay tuned for details.
How are AI models billed?
  • All AI models are accessed on a pay-per-use basis; meaning costs are calculated per million tokens (chunks of text processed). Pricing varies depending on the model used. You are not charged personally.  Visit Article - AI: UT AI Hub Monthly Usage Allowances to learn more. Your current usage is visible in the top right corner of the interface. If you reach your budget limit, your active conversation will be cut off, and you will not be able to start new ones or continue until the budget resets the following month.  UT Verse does not enforce a monthly budget cap. Instead, your usage is displayed as a running cost estimate for transparency, so you can stay informed without worrying about hitting a hard limit.  Both are hosted in a secure cloud environment, and user data is not used to improve AI models. AI Hub provides access to multiple popular language models (e.g., ChatGPT, Opus/Sonnet, Gemini) for everyday work. UT Verse is an OIT-built platform shaped by the UT community and currently includes AI chat, translation, and natural voice generation.
 Can we work on live files that upload?
  • Live document editing is not currently available in AI Hub, and we cannot add it because the application relies on third-party support. We are working on UT Verse version 2 and are considering adding this feature. Right now, UT Verse can download full conversations and responses into MS Word, but the output is not an exact copy of the original document. Please understand that developing live editing is very challenging—so much so that even Microsoft has not fully achieved it.
 I would like to know whether I can use Cowork within Copilot at this time.
 I have a professor paying for a monthly Claude Pro subscription. Do you know if the Claude Pro will cover different tiers as they offer for upgrades?
  • Claude Sonnent 4.6 and Claude Opus 4.6 are both available as part of the UT AI Hub 
 We have been receiving requests lately from faculty to purchase a variety of subscription-based services and/or AI platforms. To obtain OIT approval for any of these purchases, should we submit a Data and Technology Review form? Additionally, do you have a decision tree or something that would help us determine which subscriptions and/or AI are allowable and which are not?

  • The biggest thing to keep in mind is that our security focus is usually less about the specific AI tool itself and more about protecting sensitive data. We have contractual and audit obligations to protect certain types of information (FERPA, PII, etc.), and we want to ensure University of Tennessee data isn't sitting in the history of third-party platforms over which we don't have control. 

  • Some General Guidance

    • Data Sensitivity: If the data you are using is not sensitive, there are generally very few restrictions on which tools you can use.
    • De-identification: If data is properly de-identified, it opens up more possibilities for tool usage.
    • Meeting Assistants: We have actually blocked many third-party AI meeting bots. Instead, we direct everyone toward Zoom AI Companion and Teams Premium for summarizing meetings. Since people talk about all sorts of things in meetings, this keeps that information within our "closed ecosystem" where it’s safer.
    • Conversation History: It's important to think about where your chat history lives. If it’s with a third party, that party owns that data. If you use our internal tools, it stays on our protected servers.

  • Recommended Internal Tools

    • We’ve worked hard to provide access to chat tools that keep our data secure within protected environments. I'd definitely encourage faculty to explore:

      • UT Verse
      • UT AI Hub
      • Microsoft Copilot
  • To help you and the faculty navigate the thousands of tools out there, we’ve recently updated our Artificial Intelligence guidance page. It covers these principles in much more detail: https://oit.utk.edu/ai/
Is the access routed through a pay-as-you-go API (which removes standard session limits) or a seat-based enterprise/team license?
  • We use an API-based setup in Azure, meaning access is pay-per-use rather than a fixed-seat license. Pricing varies by model. Specifically, the Anthropic models are much more expensive. For example, Claude Opus can cost roughly 10x as much as other models. You may want to reserve Claude Opus for tasks that truly require deeper reasoning and use other AI Hub models when appropriate.
If it is seat-based, what are the specific message, token, or hourly limits enforced per user?
  • Each user receives a $20 monthly budget. You can keep an eye on your current usage via the indicator in the top right corner of the interface. 
Does the university's interface include a visible progress bar for usage, or will it enforce hard lockouts without warning when large context windows are processed near the limit threshold?
  • Once your monthly budget is reached, your session will be cut off, and you won't be able to start new conversations until the budget resets the following month. There is currently no advance warning before the cutoff, so we'd recommend keeping an eye on your usage balance as you work. Usage is displayed in the top-right corner of the interface. 
Will OIT offer any of the mid-tier subscription-level enterprise accounts at an additional fee? Does UT provide a UT-managed way to authenticate to Anthropic/Claude for use with developer tools like Claude Code (CLI)?
  • At this time, the AI Hub provides access to a curated set of AI models through its built-in interface, including Claude and other large language models available through Microsoft Azure. However, the Hub does not support external integrations or direct connections to third-party tools such as Claude Code. Access is limited to the functionality provided within the AI Hub environment itself.
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