This spring, the AI Use Cases at TalTech collection was launched on the ai.taltech.ee website. It showcases artificial intelligence solutions that are being used or developed across TalTech. The collection features use cases for different audiences: AI helps students learn and write their theses, supports lecturers in providing feedback, assists researchers with interview transcription, enables staff to find information more efficiently, and gives university leaders a better overview of TalTech’s expertise. Some of these solutions are already in everyday use, while others are still in the pilot or development stage.
Personalised AI support for students from learning to thesis writing
AI can support students throughout their entire learning journey. For example, Peaaru, TalTech’s personal AI study assistant, helps students find information, understand complex topics, and receive guidance throughout the learning process. The goal is to provide more personalised support and make explanations available whenever students need them.
Project-based learning is supported by the Hybrid Intelligent Assessment System, whose AI assistant provides students with weekly guidance throughout the duration of their project work. For practical assignments, TalTech is also piloting an AI Assessment Assistant, which delivers initial automated feedback, allowing students to improve their work before final assessment.
To manage the thesis process, TalTech uses Protsessor, a platform where students can browse thesis topics, apply for projects, keep track of deadlines, submit their work, and receive feedback. Future students can explore suitable IT degree programmes through the IT Career Explorer, which combines practical tasks with personalised recommendations to help them discover fields that match their interests.
AI as a teaching assistant, not a replacement for lecturers
Across the lecturer-focused use cases, one common objective is to reduce repetitive and time-consuming administrative work, leaving more time for teaching, mentoring, and meaningful interaction with students.
For example, the AI Assessment Assistant for practical assignments provides students with automated feedback before their work reaches the lecturer. Students can revise their submissions accordingly, while lecturers can focus on higher-value feedback and oral examinations.
A broader initiative is the AI Toolkit for Lecturers, currently under development. It is a collection of ChatGPT-based assistants that support tasks ranging from curriculum analysis and learning material creation to automated assessment and feedback.
AI is also being applied to curriculum development. Course Map Analysis Using Large Language Models (LLMs) helps identify transferable skills, validate learning outcomes, and assess curriculum coherence. Going a step further, the Semantic Curriculum Digitaliser transforms learning outcomes into machine-readable and comparable data, laying the foundation for future services such as personalised learning pathways and competency-based course search.
Several solutions, including Peaaru, the thesis supervision assistant, Protsessor, and the Hybrid Intelligent Assessment System, can support both students and lecturers, illustrating that many of these AI applications serve multiple user groups.
Teadlasele mõeldud lahendused aitavad vähendavad käsitööd
One of the most practical AI tools already in everyday use for researchers is Tekstiks.ee, which automatically converts Estonian-language audio and video recordings into text. This can significantly reduce the time spent transcribing research interviews. The generated transcript can be edited online and downloaded as a Word document.
International collaboration is supported by TalTech Real-Time Speech Translation, which combines speech recognition, machine translation, and speech synthesis. The system enables live translation between Estonian and other languages, making Estonian-language research and teaching more accessible to international audiences.
Another solution currently under development is the AI Competence Mapping System. Its purpose is to bring together information about TalTech researchers, research groups, and projects with AI expertise into a single searchable environment. This will make it easier to identify experts in specific fields, build interdisciplinary project teams, and initiate new research collaborations.
AI supports staff in finding information and everyday work
AI can assist university staff both in their daily tasks and in locating relevant information. For example, Tekstiks.ee can be used to transcribe meetings and other recordings, while TalTech Real-Time Speech Translation helps make Estonian-language content accessible to international audiences.
The AI Competence Mapping System provides an overview of AI-related expertise across TalTech’s researchers, research groups, and projects. In addition to facilitating expert discovery and research collaboration, such a knowledge base can support strategic planning and decision-making.
In education, similar opportunities are created by AI-based Course Map Analysis and the Semantic Curriculum Digitaliser. By making learning outcomes and their relationships machine-readable, these tools enable deeper analysis of curriculum coherence, reveal potential gaps, and create opportunities for developing personalised learning pathways and new digital learning services.
Another example is the TalTech PhD Guide. While primarily designed to support doctoral students, it can also provide valuable management insights by identifying the stages of the onboarding process where students encounter the most questions and challenges.
The AI use cases presented in the collection represent only part of the work currently underway at TalTech. Many additional AI initiatives and experiments are taking place across different departments and research groups. As artificial intelligence continues to evolve rapidly, new ideas and applications are constantly emerging, creating fresh opportunities for experimentation, innovation, and further development across the university.
Explore all AI use cases and discover ideas that you can apply in your own studies or work: https://ai.taltech.ee/en/ai-use-cases-at-taltech/