Information Systems and Technology (IS&T) is thrilled to announce the initial release of “PantherAI”, a multi-platform AI portal that facilitates easy access to the latest AI technologies from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and beyond. “PantherAI provides an easy and safe way to use the latest artificial technology tools without signing up for individual paid accounts”, said Phillip Lyle, Deputy Chief Information Officer.

PantherAI uses a new open-source application called LibreChat (developed in partnership with Harvard University) to connect users to various AI models, such as ChatGPT 4.1, Gemini, and DeepSeek, hosted by major AI companies. However, Lyle emphasizes that the use of PantherAI is safe. “The system securely sends your AI prompts to the provider to obtain the result,  but nothing is retained on their servers. Your historical chat data is only kept on Chapman’s servers.”

“PantherAI helps Chapman’s researchers use AI across different fields without needing technical skills or worrying about data privacy”, said Dr. Martina Nieswandt, Vice President for Research & Graduate Education. “This allows them to focus on their research, scholarship and creative activities instead of keeping up with fast-changing AI tools.”

“I’ve been working in AI and machine learning for two decades, but the innovation we’ve seen since the release of large language models like ChatGPT is like nothing I’ve ever seen. Despite the hype, and in spite of some of the skeptics, one thing is perfectly clear – researchers, educators, students, and professionals who do not become literate in this technology are going to be quickly left behind in their fields,” said Dr. Erik Linstead, Senior Associate Dean of the Fowler School of Engineering and Principal Investigator of the Machine Learning and Affiliated Technologies (MLAT) Lab.

PantherAI responding to a prompt using multiple providers simultaneously 
In discussing the innovative capabilities of PantherAI, Anna Alber, Senior Research Scientist and technical project lead, highlighted its remarkable adaptability in describing the impact to the campus. “One of the most exciting aspects of PantherAI is its flexibility – we can incorporate new AI models the same day they are released by leading providers. That means the platform can evolve in real time alongside the field. It has been rewarding to help build a platform that increases collective AI literacy across campus and lowers the barrier to using AI tools in teaching and research.” 

Getting started with PantherAI 

Faculty and staff can get started today with PantherAI by visiting the information page at https://www.chapman.edu/pantherai.

Initially, PantherAI is only available to faculty and staff, but IS&T expects that the service will be expanded to all students over the summer. For now, faculty interested in using the tool with their students can put in a request with the IS&T department.

Please keep an eye on the Working@Chapman newsletter for upcoming workshops on PantherAI and other helpful AI tools.

IS&T would like to acknowledge the PantherAI project team – Anna Alber (Senior Research Scientist and technical lead), Brett Fisher (Director of Research Computing), Victor Muramoto (Cloud Architect), and Phillip Lyle (Deputy CIO) for their work in bringing PantherAI to the campus community.