Patricia Aldape Aldape Valdes
Director,
Tecnologico de Monterrey
TECbot: An AI-Powered Academic Companion Experience
Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | 9:30AM–10:30AM MT
Session Type:
Poster Session
Delivery Format:
Poster Session
Most higher education AI initiatives start with a chatbot. Ours started with a question: What if AI could support the entire student journey and not just answer questions? At Tec de Monterrey, we moved beyond fragmented AI pilots to build the Academic TECbot, a unified AI assistant now supporting more than 120,000 users. Instead of deploying disconnected tools, we embedded generative AI directly into the academic experience to provide scalable, judgment-free academic support for every student. In this session, we share the strategy and architecture behind this transformation. Participants will explore our four-layer configuration model, which moves from foundational LLM knowledge to institution-specific integrations with the LMS, library, and academic resources—ensuring academic rigor, pedagogical alignment, and responsible AI use. More importantly, we will examine the human impact. TECbot acts as an always-available learning ally, enabling students to ask the questions they might hesitate to raise in class and expanding equitable access to guidance across disciplines and campuses. Attendees will leave with a practical framework for moving beyond isolated AI tools toward a coordinated institutional ecosystem that scales equitable academic support and empowers students to deepen their understanding and progress through learning at their own pace.
