AI Purchase Requests
Institution or Divisional AI Software Purchases
If your department, division or school is interested in purchasing a large quantity of licenses for an AI-related product, please navigate to:
- The Academic Technology Advisory Committee website to make academic technology requests or;
- The Information Technology Advisory Committee website for all other AI-related project implementation requests.
The IT Governance Program is dedicated to working with our community on the acquisition and implementation of large-scale software and services, including those involving AI.
Individual Software Purchases
Brandeis provides a suite of general-use and meeting-specific AI productivity tools, including Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot and Zoom AI Companion . These platforms support a wide range of academic and administrative tasks—from research and data visualization and being a “classroom partner” for brainstorming and simulations to assisting with meeting management, document drafting/revision and multilingual communication. The Brandeis community is encouraged to prioritize these pre-approved tools before considering the purchase of non-approved AI software.
What if I need to use a different platform?
Brandeis understands that these platforms may not always fill the needs of our community members. Should faculty or staff elect to purchase an individual subscription other than the university-provided AI software tools using university funds, you may be required to provide a documented academic or business need before purchase or reimbursement requests are approved by the Procurement Office.
If you are unsure about what is available, what the provided software can do for you, or if you would like assistance due to a purchase or reimbursement denial, please contact the ITS Help Desk through our Self-Service Portal.
Why can't I just make the purchase?
The Brandeis Offices of Finance & Procurement, Information Technology Services and the IT Governance Program have this checkpoint in place to ensure the protection of our community and to help limit unnecessary or redundant purchasing of software services.
- Data security, privacy and confidentiality is guaranteed when accessing these platforms via an @brandeis.edu account. Our enterprise agreements ensure that users retain full data ownership, that information is never shared with third parties, and that your data is not subject to human review nor utilized to train the providers’ AI models. These protections are part of the Brandeis ecosystem, offering security enhancements that often exceed those found in individual paid subscriptions for products like ChatGPT or Claude.
- University Policies and Guidelines are in place to protect our community and Brandeis. It is important for our community members to understand broader institutional guidance before using non-approved AI software. More information on pertinent policies and guidelines can be found on the AI Steering Council Policies & Guidelines section.