The University of Insubria introduces ARIA, the new virtual assistant developed by the Web Ecosystem Hub, as part of its ongoing digital innovation strategy and continuous improvement of online services

The University of Insubria introduces ARIA, the new virtual assistant designed to make finding information across the University's web ecosystem simpler, faster and more reliable. Developed with Microsoft Copilot Studio, ARIA is intended primarily for current and prospective students, as well as members of the public seeking guidance on academic programmes, services, educational opportunities, procedures and institutional channels.

The project was developed within the activities of the Web Ecosystem Coordination and Steering Hub, coordinated by Professor Sabrina Sicari, Full Professor of Information Processing Systems, with contributions from Luca Mondini, Head of the University's Digital Innovation and Multimedia Technologies Service, and Flavio Saturno, Director of the Student Services and External Relations Area. It represents one of the University's most advanced initiatives in its ongoing digital transformation strategy.

The Microsoft Copilot Studio platform has been configured to operate exclusively on the University of Insubria's official institutional sources, ensuring control over the information used, consistency of responses and direct references to the relevant official public sources.

«ARIA represents another important step forward in the University of Insubria's digital transformation journey,» says Professor Sabrina Sicari. «Our goal is not simply to introduce a new technology, but to provide our community with a tool that makes access to information easier, improves the user experience and strengthens the quality of our digital services. This project demonstrates that innovation, participation and responsibility can successfully work together while always putting people first.»

«From a technical perspective, ARIA has been designed to rely exclusively on verified institutional sources, without performing generic web searches,» explains Luca Mondini. «Every response is generated from the University's official content and, whenever available, is accompanied by the most relevant official link. Thanks to Microsoft Copilot Studio, we have developed a flexible and scalable platform that will continue to improve both its ability to interpret users' requests and the quality of the information it provides.»

«The University of Insubria's experience demonstrates how generative AI can become a practical enabler of simpler, more accessible and more reliable digital services,» comments Veronica De Leo, Director of the Education Division at Microsoft Italy. «With Microsoft Copilot Studio, universities and public institutions can create intelligent agents capable of enhancing their information assets while improving the experience of students, academic staff and citizens.»

The assistant understands questions expressed in natural language, summarises even complex information, suggests navigation paths and provides clear answers, accompanied whenever available by the most relevant official link. Its objective is to help users quickly find accurate information, understand its context and identify the necessary steps, while always directing them to the University's official portals for further details.

A distinctive feature of ARIA is the active involvement of students. The project was developed in collaboration with the General Student Council, which contributed to defining the identity of the service. Both the name ARIA and its logo were selected through an ideas competition promoted by student representatives, reinforcing the connection between digital innovation, participation and the university community.

ARIA supports the main areas of university and institutional life, including guidance and admissions, degree programmes, student services, teaching, class timetables, examinations, campuses, classrooms, administrative procedures, forms, regulations, events, news, offices and official contacts.

A key element of the project is the reliability of institutional sources. ARIA does not perform generic Internet searches, does not use search engine results and does not retrieve information from unverified external websites. Instead, its responses are generated exclusively from the University of Insubria's official public portals and connected institutional platforms, including the University website, the English-language website, the Course Catalogue, Esse3, UniFind, the Transparent Administration portal, the UP Research Portal and publicly accessible teaching resources.

Whenever information is unavailable in the official sources, or is incomplete or ambiguous, the assistant explicitly informs the user and recommends consulting the appropriate institutional channels. ARIA does not provide personalised advice, does not disclose information that has not yet been officially published, does not guarantee administrative outcomes and does not generate content that is not supported by official sources.

ARIA has not been designed solely as a virtual assistant. User interactions will also help identify unclear content, information that is difficult to locate and weaknesses in navigation paths, thereby contributing to the continuous improvement of both the University website and its broader web ecosystem.

The assistant has been designed to adopt a clear, friendly and accessible communication style, suitable also for younger audiences and aligned with the principles of plain language promoted within the Italian Public Administration. Responses prioritise clarity, accessibility and transparency, providing step-by-step explanations whenever necessary.

The service is designed to provide public information and does not require users to enter personal or sensitive data. Interactions take place within secure environments, in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Italian guidelines on artificial intelligence in Public Administration, and the security and governance measures provided by the technological platform.

A project developed by the Web Ecosystem Coordination and Steering Hub

The new virtual assistant is one of the most significant outcomes of the work carried out by the Web Ecosystem Coordination and Steering Hub, established by the University to ensure the quality, consistency, accessibility, reliability and continuous updating of its digital content. In line with the Strategic Plan 2024–2030 and the University's information and knowledge management policies, the Hub coordinates editorial, organisational and technological activities through a governance model involving administrative offices, departments and institutional stakeholders.

In recent years, this work has produced tangible results, including the reorganisation of departmental websites, the revision and updating of regulations and digital content, the enhancement of English-language pages, the publication of thematic FAQs, improved search engine optimisation, the development of the online tuition fee simulator, and the gradual removal of duplicated or outdated content.

Among the most recent initiatives is InsubriaPlay, the University's institutional video platform, created to enhance its audiovisual heritage and provide accessible content through search, indexing and automatic subtitling features.

ARIA therefore represents the latest milestone in a broader strategy through which the University of Insubria is renewing its digital services. From the reorganisation of the web ecosystem to InsubriaPlay, from the online tuition fee simulator to AI-powered tools, the objective is to build an increasingly accessible, reliable and user-centred digital environment serving students, academic staff, professional staff and the wider community.