Nanyang Technological University Singapore revamps its student virtual assistant with GenAI, reducing manual tasks and boosting accuracy.
Nanyang Technological University recently underwent a significant GenAI upgrade for its Lyon Bot, enhancing student support and easing administrative loads. The original assistant, built on an intent-based NLP system. Earlier it struggled with evolving student needs and demanded extensive manual tagging and updates. These limitations hindered flexibility and scalability. The GenAI transformation addresses these pain points head-on.
By integrating Google Gemini’s large language model, the revamped Lyon Bot now processes complex, unstructured queries. Especially around housing and enrollment—with remarkable accuracy and speed. The system uses multi-layer processing including query understanding, demand classification, and real-time answer generation from centralized data sources. This reduces error rates while keeping response times low. NTU reports this GenAI integration saves approximately 14.5 days of staff labor monthly. Freeing personnel to focus on strategic and creative work.
The hybrid architecture—combining intent-based NLP for structured tasks with GenAI for open-ended queries. This ensures both precision and adaptability. Staff still rely on the intent model for clearly defined inquiries, while Gemini-powered layers tackle varied and nuanced questions. This balance maintains reliability without sacrificing flexibility, improving student engagement through more responsive and context-aware conversations. CloudMile led implementation, leveraging deep expertise in GenAI systems and data governance. They tailored consulting and integration services to NTU’s needs, delivering a stable, scalable conversational AI framework. Their work underscores the importance of combining technical sophistication with strong data practices in educational environments. CloudMile’s support positions NTU to extend GenAI across campus services in the future.
NTU Singapore’s GenAI-powered Lyon Bot exemplifies how hybrid AI systems enhance efficiency and user experience in higher education. By offloading repetitive administrative tasks, the university achieves measurable time savings while elevating support quality. The GenAI upgrade empowers staff. It also optimizes operations, and sets the stage for broader AI-driven innovation on campus.