Grady College has introduced HAL8122, a multilingual conversational AI assistant built by BizzTech to handle inquiries from prospective students and global visitors in over 100 languages.
The system was developed to bridge communication gaps for international families and prospective applicants who might face language barriers or time-zone challenges when trying to reach staff during business hours.
“We have students and families reaching out from all over the globe, at all hours,” said Charles N. Davis, dean of Grady College, noting that the tool allows someone in Seoul or São Paulo to receive a real answer in their own language.
Building a Global Front Door
The project stems from an observation: Grady College hears from people all over the world, and not everyone who wants to reach the college is fluent in English or has time to track down the right staff member during business hours. HAL8122 runs on BizzTech’s conversational AI platform, which pairs natural language understanding with real-time translation capabilities.
Rather than relying on basic keyword matching, the underlying technology is designed to understand what someone actually means and respond in a natural, fluent way. Barry Gillespie, global vice president, strategic partnerships at BizzTech, noted that the college fits the exact profile for this application.
“Grady College is exactly the kind of environment we built this technology for; a place where people are reaching out from every corner of the world, in every language, expecting to be understood,” Gillespie said.
What the Assistant Handles Today
At launch, the assistant focuses on delivering reliable information regarding admissions, academic requirements, and financial aid. Visitors interacting with the tool can navigate several specific administrative areas:
- Admissions and Enrollment: Application deadlines, required submission materials, transfer credit policies, and campus visit scheduling.
- Academic Requirements: Instructions for declaring or changing majors, course tracks, and locating advising resources.
- Financial Aid: General eligibility criteria, scholarship deadlines, and directions for one-on-one financial aid consultations.
- Staff Directory Guidance: Directing visitors to the correct contact information for specific offices and personnel.
| Feature | Capability | Technology Partner |
|---|---|---|
| Language Support | Over 100 languages | BizzTech |
| Core Function | Admissions, advising, and financial aid navigation | Natural Language Understanding & Real-Time Translation |
| Availability | Web accessibility | Grady College |
Future Capabilities and Next Steps
While the current deployment functions primarily as an informational guide and translator, developers intend to expand its capabilities. Potential future iterations include scheduling and booking appointments, walking students through submission processes, and proactive outreach.
“Today HAL8122 is a very good listener and a fluent translator for Grady College,” Gillespie stated. “Where this goes next is toward an assistant that can actually take action on a student’s behalf — that’s the direction the whole platform is built for.”
To foster a more familiar connection with users, the college plans to sponsor a renaming competition in the next few weeks to give the assistant a more relatable moniker.
