AI under your own control is fairer and safer

White paper: Education should decide for itself which AI it allows – not the market. 

Fontys ICT has developed an AI platform that gives students and staff access to powerful AI models within a secure, transparent and affordable framework. The university tested the platform for six months with more than three hundred users and concluded in a white paper that educational institutions with their own AI gateway can maintain control over privacy, costs and teaching methods.

With this platform, Fontys aims to address the growing fragmentation of AI tools within education. Students were increasingly using commercial services such as ChatGPT and Claude, often via personal accounts. This led to differences in quality and access, and created uncertainty about where data was stored and which models were used for assignments.

Own AI environment with full control
The new AI platform operates on the basis of so-called 'gateway architecture'. Users can consciously choose from different AI models via their own interface. They can immediately see where the model is hosted, approximately how much it costs and what restrictions apply. This makes privacy, budget and didactic use fully manageable.
"Educational institutions must retain their autonomy in a world where developments in AI are accelerating," says Koen Suilen, lecturer and AI expert at Fontys ICT. "With our gateway, we can decide for ourselves which models we offer, under what conditions and for which users. This is essential for the safe and fair application of AI in education."

Positive results from the pilot
During the pilot period, the platform operated stably and securely, with no privacy incidents. Both students and staff indicated that the transparency and user-friendliness of the system helped them to apply AI in a more conscious and targeted manner.
The platform also proved to be cost-efficient: Fontys maintained central control over budgets and model use and offered an alternative to individual subscriptions. The system also ensured that the majority of AI requests were processed automatically via European data centres, which is important for compliance with the GDPR and the AI Act.
"We have seen that technology alone is not enough – you need a governance structure that fits your values as an educational institution," says Ruud Huijts, lecturer and co-author of the white paper. "AI is no longer a support tool, like traditional ICT. AI is strategy. If you take that seriously, you have to take control of the systems you use."

Call for AI leadership in education
An important conclusion of the white paper is that educational institutions need a new role to manage AI in a sustainable and responsible manner: the AI Officer. This person or team must supervise model choices, data use, risks, budgets and integration within the curriculum. Huijts emphasises: "Without a clear person in charge, AI governance becomes fragmented. With the AI Officer, institutions can ensure continuity, quality and safety. This role also brings together expertise that is rarely found in one person: technical depth, knowledge of legislation and regulations, and an understanding of education, combined with the authority to make strategic choices based on that mix."

Looking ahead
Fontys ICT wants to further expand the platform in the coming period and support other educational institutions that are experiencing similar challenges. The university of applied sciences sees the gateway architecture as a scalable and future-proof solution for the entire education sector. Suilen: "We are demonstrating that it is possible to offer powerful AI without being dependent on large commercial platforms. This is a step towards digital independence in education. However, we also recognise that the role of an AI Officer is still lacking. In order to scale up further, we need to strengthen our policy. Technically, the platform already works, but real growth requires more policy. If we take those steps, we can ensure true equality, independence and good control."

Whitepaper ‘Institutional AI Sovereignty Through Gateway Architecture: Implementation Report from Fontys ICT’. 

Text: Wim Pleunis, photo: Ruud Huijts (l.) en Koen Suilen.

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