TUM Chatbot
Barbara Tasch, Managing Director TUM School of Management
Joshua’s professionalism, discipline, and commitment have been invaluable to one of our flagship AI projects at the TUM School of Management, where he served as Co-Lead and SCRUM Master. Over the course of nearly a year, I worked closely with him on the development of our generative AI chatbot. He proved to be an exceptional leader and collaborator—resilient, innovative, and solution-oriented. His strategic thinking and technical expertise were instrumental to the success of both the product and its launch. Joshua’s dedication brought significant value to TUM, and any organization would benefit greatly from his unique skill set and mindset.
Students helped
Team members managed
Technology Stacks used
Working together as a team
About the Technical University of Munich (TUM)
The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is one of Europe’s leading institutions for research and education in science, technology, engineering, and management. With a strong emphasis on innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration, TUM is a hub for cutting-edge research and development, attracting top talent from around the world. The university continually seeks ways to enhance student services and educational tools, positioning itself at the forefront of digital transformation in academia.
History of milbo GmbH with the TUM
milbo GmbH’s collaboration with TUM is rooted in a strong, long-standing connection, as many of milbo’s founders and team members come from TUM’s renowned programs in computer science, robotics, and data engineering. This shared background has fostered a deep understanding of TUM’s culture of innovation and excellence, creating a natural alignment in values and goals.The partnership began with the ambitious project to create pAIge, an AI-powered chatbot designed to streamline student support at TUM. milbo CEO Joshua Milbers, led the planning, preparation, and oversaw the full development of the platform’s IT infrastructure, working closely with TUM and Microsoft teams. From designing the user flow and UI/UX experience to managing architecture meetings and selecting the technology stack, milbo has been a pivotal key piece in transforming TUM’s vision into a fully realized, state-of-the-art solution. That collaboration exemplifies the synergy between milbo and TUM, with both organizations dedicated to advancing digital innovation and enhancing the educational experience for students.
pAIge – A generative AI chatbot
Scope of Work
- Challenge: Consolidating dispersed data across TUM’s FAQ, website, and internal systems to create an intelligent, responsive chatbot.
- Solution: pAIge chatbot, offering automated, TUM-specific responses and user-friendly access to academic and administrative support information.
- AI Integration: Utilized Azure AI, OpenAI, and vector databases for advanced search and data handling.
- Collaborators: TUM’s School of Management, Microsoft’s educational team, and TUM’s CIO and software engineering faculty.
- Hackathon Success: Rapid R&D through a 72-hour hackathon with over 50 students, yielding diverse MVPs to guide development.
Development Process
- Phase: Pre-hackathon R&D to define the project scope with flexibility for creative solutions.
- Phase: A 72-hour hackathon focused on rapid prototyping and testing, producing multiple MVPs to test various approaches.
- Phase: Post-hackathon integration of winning team members into the internal development team, who implemented best practices for efficiency.
- Phase: Continued refinement and deployment of the finalized pAIge architecture, leveraging Next.js, FastAPI, LangChain, and Weaviate.
How the solution works
The pAIge chatbot seamlessly integrates advanced AI and intuitive design to provide TUM students with fast, accurate answers to their academic and administrative questions.
Here’s how it works:
Learning from the best @TUM and Microsoft
Results and Current Impact
- Increased Engagement: Hundreds of students have engaged with the chatbot, experiencing faster and more accessible support.
- Improved Efficiency: Student support team has seen significant time savings on repetitive inquiries.
- Positive Feedback: Consistently favorable feedback from students, TUM faculty, and administration.
Future Goals and Next Steps
- Ongoing Development: Expanded through a bachelor practical course with continuous contributions from TUM students to further enhance pAIge’s capabilities.
- Partnership Growth: Plans for future AI initiatives and events, solidifying TUM and Microsoft’s collaboration in educational technology.
Showcase
Scroll through our journey.
