Roary needs significant improvements for it to be a valuable AI assistant
On Jan. 22, University of Missouri students received a text message from Roary, the university’s new AI chatbot assistant. Any student with a phone number connected to MyZou instantly gained access to this new tool. MU is now one of 170 universities across the nation partnering with EdSights, a company that prioritizes “creating a student-centered higher education system.” An FAQ form available under the Student Success section on MU’s website states Roary is “guided by a robust Mizzou knowledge base”. However, this knowledge base is still limited, which has restricted Roary’s actual utility.
Eyram Dumor, Deputy AIDE Coordinator of the Missouri Students Association, addressed these concerns on the MU Student Success website, stating that Roary should be seen as “a middle man and not as an AI robot.” However, in notecards found across campus and in the original text that Roary sent, it’s described as just an AI tool and has no mention of being a “middle man.” A lack of consistent wording makes it unclear if those who created Roary even know what its purpose is supposed to be.
In my experience, Roary can’t even give answers to simple questions. I asked four questions about subjects related to campus life such as, “What hours is Plaza 900 open?” and “When does spring break start?” Each time, Roary couldn’t give me an answer and instead redirected me to what it thought was the website most related to the question. What I found the most interesting was that Roary couldn’t give me a definitive answer for questions regarding things on MU’s campus, but it could answer questions that pertained to my classwork, such as what the 14th Amendment was and why it was important. After using Roary, I was left with one question: Why can’t a personalized MU chatbot definitively answer any of my questions about the school?
What most confuses me about Roary is that its creation contradicts MU’s own AI policy which states that “students who use ChatGPT and similar tools on assignments without permission, or who use them in improper ways, are violating the academic integrity rules of the University.” If other AI tools such as ChatGPT are frowned upon by the university due to it being incredibly easy to use their services for academic dishonesty, therefore it’s a bit perplexing as to why MU would take the time to build or invest in their own AI service.
If MU wants students to start using Roary regularly, those behind the chatbot should further clarify its goals for the chatbot. Until then, Roary’s limited usefulness leaves much to be desired.
Edited by Preston Smith | psmith@themaneater.com
Copyedited by Micah Shulman and Emma Short | eshort@themaneater.com
Edited by Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com