Chatbots
A chatbot answers questions from your own content — your policies, your FAQs, your documentation — in a conversation rather than a search results page. This toolkit is for any department or team at Notre Dame thinking about building one.
There are two ways to go about it, and the right one depends mostly on who needs to use it.
Build it yourself
Make a Gemini Gem this afternoon. No approvals, no IT involvement, no cost beyond what the University already licenses. Best for internal audiences — your team, your staff, people with an ND Google account.
Build it with us
AI Enablement builds a managed chatbot that lives on your website and works for anyone, including the public. Takes weeks to months, and your unit covers the AI usage cost.
Not sure which? Start with the fit and approach guide.
True either way
- Your content decides how good it is. Nothing else comes close.
- You own accuracy — before launch and long after.
- Someone has to keep it current, or it quietly goes stale and starts misleading people.
- Test it before you share it. Only you can tell whether an answer is right.
- Use only data you’re allowed to use. Same rule whether you build it yourself or with us.
Templates
Each link opens a copy in your own Drive — you don’t need edit access to the originals.
| Template | What it’s for | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Chatbot Planning Guide | The decisions to make before anyone builds anything. About an hour to fill in. | Everyone |
| Chatbot Workbook | Your content inventory, your test questions, and your results, in one spreadsheet. | Everyone |
| Roles & Ownership | Who’s responsible for what, especially after launch. Fifteen minutes. | Mostly managed chatbots |
Talk it through
Not sure whether a chatbot is the right answer, or which approach fits? That’s a good conversation to have early rather than late.