Pitt is teaming up with Anthropic and AWS to create an AI-enabled Campus of the Future

The University of Pittsburgh is leading a national milestone by partnering with Anthropic and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to create an AI-enabled Campus of the Future. Through this partnership, Pitt becomes the first university to secure an institution-wide agreement for the state-of-the-art AI model Claude for Education integrated with AWS, which will be deployed across its Pittsburgh and regional campuses. By utilizing the secure and robust cloud infrastructure of AWS and its Amazon Bedrock’s services, this initiative offers the tools and potential to transform how students learn, how faculty innovate and how the University operates, driven by the creativity and application of its users.

“By equipping our community with cutting-edge tools from Anthropic and AWS, we amplify how the University functions, how we support faculty and how we ensure the best possible student experience in the classroom and beyond,” said Chancellor Joan Gabel. “This collaboration lays the groundwork for a new era of innovation in learning, teaching, research and administration.” 

A 2025 EDUCAUSE AI Landscape Study highlights the challenges universities face in adopting AI while maintaining academic integrity. Pitt is addressing these issues head-on with a comprehensive approach including:

• Institution-wide access to Claude for Education, integrated into learning platforms, research tools and administrative systems
• Collaborating with Anthropic, AWS and Pitt’s Artificial Intelligence Scholar-Teacher Alliance to develop responsible AI use frameworks and promote AI literacy

• Developing a workforce readiness program through partnerships with local agencies and technical training from Anthropic, AWS and Pittsburgh industries

• Integrating Amazon Bedrock into PittGPT, accessing foundational models like Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.1 and Sonnet 4.5 to build custom Al applications

• Applying Claude for Education in Pitt’s Health Sciences and Sports Analytics Cloud Innovation Center, powered by AWS, for student-faculty-industry collaboration on AI solutions

Claude for Education is an advanced AI assistant developed by Anthropic, distinguished by its approach to learning and enterprise applications. It encourages critical thinking by posing guiding questions and offering personalized support, preparing students to use professional AI tools and meet educational and administrative needs.

“Claude for Education offers the possibility of a unified, safe AI space,” said Mark D. Henderson, Pitt's vice chancellor and chief information officer. “These tools can empower users to enhance student engagement, accelerate research and transform teaching and learning. Claude’s customizable AI agents could assist advisors with student planning, aid researchers in streamlining presentations and provide administrators with real-time visibility into operations.”

This agreement builds on Pitt’s established track record in responsible AI, recognized by Anthropic and AWS for its technological and governance groundwork, including the Pitt-AWS Cloud Innovation Center and commitment to ethical AI frameworks.

“The University of Pittsburgh has been forward-thinking in its approach to AI and leveraging AWS technology across its campus from health sciences to sports,” said Kim Majerus, vice president of global education and U.S. state and local government at AWS. “This collaboration demonstrates how cloud infrastructure and advanced AI models can work together seamlessly to create transformative educational experiences. We’re proud to help Pitt lead the way in showing what’s possible when universities embrace AI thoughtfully and strategically.”

“The University of Pittsburgh is pioneering how institutions can responsibly integrate AI in higher education and its approach aligns perfectly with our commitment to develop AI that is helpful, honest and harmless,” said Johanna Bowman, education partnerships lead at Anthropic. “Working alongside AWS, we’re excited to support the University’s vision through Claude for Education, our AI Fluency curriculum, and ongoing collaboration with their AI Scholar-Teacher Alliance. Through this work, Pitt is defining how AI can best serve higher education.”

Students, faculty, and staff will access the platform this fall through existing University systems like Canvas. Pitt's implementation, backed by Anthropic and AWS, serves as a national model for secure, scalable and ethical AI deployment in academia.

Photography by Tom Altany