AI Tool Comparison
Compare the features and use cases of university-approved AI tools
AI Assistants: All-in-One
This information only applies to the specific CU Denver | Anschutz version of these tools.
| Tool Details | Microsoft Copilot Pro | Microsoft Copilot Chat | CU ChatGPT Edu |
| Cost | Cost via license | Free | Free, with a pay-as-you-go model coming later in 2026 for advanced features such as thinking & pro models. |
| Audience | Faculty, staff, students, researchers and Microsoft 365 power users | Faculty, staff and students | Eligible faculty, staff and students |
| Data Classification | Highly confidential | Highly confidential | Highly confidential |
| HIPAA/FERPA Allowed | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Web Search | No | Yes | Yes |
| Features, Tools & Integration | Everything included in Microsoft Copilot Chat along with: searching amongst all of your M365 files based on prompt, researcher agent (includes Claude), and analyst agent. Advanced integrations within M365 applications such as Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel | File upload, create Word/Excel/PowerPoint files, image generation (5 per day), content summarization, content editing, content generation and create custom agents | Canvas, image Generation (3 per day), code interpreter & data analysis, deep research (5 per day), GPTs, projects, study and learn |
| Where it Excels | Working in the Microsoft ecosystem to tie all your work together | Compliant chat in M365; easy file upload; share basic RAG agentstooltip | Compliant, accessible chat; familiar interface; easy to create custom GPTs |
| Use Case | Streamline your productivity and automate work through integration with various Microsoft 365 applications. Conduct research with researcher and analyst agents | Excellent for everyday work and assignments: Create, edit, revise and summarize content via chat. Easily upload and edit Microsoft files | Excellent for everyday work and assignments: create, edit, revise, and summarize content via chat. Conduct research with deep research feature up to 5 a day. |
| Technical Expertise Required | Beginner, minimal technical knowledge needed | Beginner, minimal technical knowledge needed | Beginner, minimal technical knowledge needed |
AI Environments
This information only applies to the specific CU Denver | Anschutz version of these tools.
| Tool Details | Vertex AI | Azure Open AI | Google Workspace |
| Cost | Upon request | Upon request | Upon request |
| Audience | Researchers; Developers | Researchers; Developers | Researchers; Developers |
| Data Classification | Confidential | Highly confidential | Highly confidential |
| HIPAA/FERPA Allowed | No | Yes | No |
| Web Search | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Features, Tools & Integration | Vertex AI Studio (model selection, reasoning level, grounding with Google Search, temperature, output structure, top-P); Colab Enterprise; pre-built agent workflows; fine-tuning; batch inference | Integrate OpenAI models into various applications | Reasoning; guided learning; images; canvas; file upload; NotebookLM (turn sources into media: RAGtooltip, podcasts, videos, reports, flashcards, quizzes, infographics, slides) |
| Where it Excels | Advanced agentic workflows; integration with vector DB; fine-tuned models | Advanced agentic workflows; various sized OpenAI models for price or performance; | Teaching resources across multiple media; general purpose chat |
| Use Case | Great for advanced research; RAGtooltip with a customized vector DB; pre-built solutions; fine-tuning; batch inference | Advanced research and applications; applications requires programmatic agentic frameworks or those that benefit from batch processing | Learn from any resource; generate podcasts, infographics, and slide decks fast and easily; general chat |
| Technical Expertise Required | Intermediate to advanced technical knowledge needed | Intermediate to advanced technical knowledge needed | Beginner, minimal technical knowledge needed |
AI Assistants: Task-Specific
This information only applies to the specific CU Denver | Anschutz version of these tools.
| Tool Details | Zoom AI Companion | Adobe Creative Suite | Grammarly |
| Cost | Free | Cost via license | Cost via license |
| Audience | Faculty, staff and students | Adobe Creative Cloud users | Faculty, staff and students |
| Data Classification | Highly confidential | Confidential | Highly confidential |
| HIPAA/FERPA Allowed | Yes | No | No HIPAA data allowed, FERPA is allowed |
| Features, Tools & Integration | Transcribe and summarize Zoom meetings; option to enable or disable before or during the meeting | Generate images and custom graphics using text prompts. Included with Adobe Creative Cloud licenses and is integrated with the Creative Cloud applications for seamless use. | A real-time communication assistant that works across many applications, including Microsoft 365 office and most web browsers, to assist users with grammar and usage, phrasing and readability, spelling and so much more. |
| Where it Excels | Generating meeting summaries and collecting next steps | Working in the Adobe Creative Cloud environment and image generation | Communication assistance in a variety of applications |
| Use Case | Excellent for taking meeting minutes and collecting notes to reflect on after the meeting, freeing you up to be more present and engaged in the conversation | Great for Adobe Creative Cloud power users who want custom image generation automatically incorporated into their Creative Cloud work | Wonderful for English language learners or users wanting to improve their writing skills-- even if you're already a pro. Use to revise documents, emails, and presentations. |
| Technical Expertise Required | Beginner, minimal technical knowledge needed | Beginner, minimal technical knowledge needed | Beginner, minimal technical knowledge needed |
