“New phone, who dis?”
It’s ‘Bow, the artificial intelligence (AI) Rainbow Warrior chatbot buddy, reaching out to undergraduate students at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa from his new number! At the start of the fall 2024 semester, ‘Bow (short for Rainbow) contacted undergraduate students via Short Message Service (SMS) (better known as texting) and offered his support and services, informing them that he is a resource they can utilize anywhere, any time, 24/7.
All undergraduate students received an introductory text from ‘Bow at the start of the semester. Those who have not yet received a text from ‘Bow can contact vpss@hawaii.edu.
‘Bow is an initiative under Division of Student Success (DSS) and was first introduced to undergraduate students in fall 2023. Students can exchange text messages with ‘Bow and ask any UH Mānoa related questions.
“Because ‘Bow is just a text message away, asking him questions when I’m busy or on the go is extremely convenient. I enjoy interacting with him and see him as a personal helper whenever I need one,” said McKenzie Kurosu, a senior majoring in communications. “Students from every year can benefit from him! I feel supported by ‘Bow.”
Last academic year, DSS reported that ‘Bow received more than 100,000 messages, ranging from academic advising, to finding more about athletic events, to resources for mental health support. This led to more than 7,600 actions taken where ‘Bow proactively identified challenges and connected students to UH Mānoa resources.
“DSS wanted a way to support students in their academic journeys in a fast, efficient and friendly way, and ‘Bow was the perfect tool to implement for undergraduates,” said Interim Vice Provost for Student Success Katrina-Ann R. Kapāʻanaokalāokeola Oliveira. “During the first year ‘Bow was introduced, we saw how he generated a positive response from students and had a major impact on how they navigated their student experience. We hope to see this trend continue for years to come.”
- Related UH News Story: UH Mānoa Rainbow Warrior chatbot serves as pocket student resource, January 23, 2024
‘Bow’s knowledge, team grows
‘Bow’s technical background stems from adaptive AI, meaning that, instead of generating new content, his knowledge base is curated and monitored by DSS. The adaptive AI also allows DSS to develop ‘Bow’s scripts to promptly respond to students. Over summer 2024, ‘Bow’s scripts were expanded, giving him the ability to ask more specific questions to determine the best unit to direct students to.
The development on ‘Bow’s script serves his human helpers (personnel from DSS) as well—it gives them insight to identify and reach out to students who need mental health support or are considering leaving UH. ‘Bow’s growth has led DSS to expand the team by adding in three graduate interns that will be monitoring messages received by ‘Bow and reach out to students who have questions that ‘Bow may not be able to answer. The team members are part of the Master’s of Social Work program and are applying what they are learning in the classroom.
