{"id":29204,"date":"2025-04-23T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/?p=29204"},"modified":"2025-04-23T15:05:00","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T19:05:00","slug":"meet-onboardinga2-maizey-helping-new-staff-get-their-bearings-at-u-m-with-the-help-of-u-m-ai-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/23\/meet-onboardinga2-maizey-helping-new-staff-get-their-bearings-at-u-m-with-the-help-of-u-m-ai-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet OnboardingA2 Maizey: Helping new staff get their bearings at U-M with the help of U-M AI Tools"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Starting a new job can be overwhelming, but the University of Michigan (U-M) is making it easier with a suite of improved onboarding resources. U-M recently rolled out an improved Ann Arbor campus New Employee Orientation, a new U-M Onboarding program, and OnboardingA2 Maizey, an AI-powered chatbot that delivers answers to common new-hire questions. These integrated tools are part of a broader university-wide initiative aimed at helping new staff feel supported from day one \u2013 and for good reason. Studies<\/a> show that employees who participate in a structured onboarding experience are 70% more likely to stay with an organization after three years\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OnboardingA2 Maizey is a conversational AI chatbot, similar to ChatGPT. Unlike general AI chat tools, Maizey is trained exclusively on information from official U-M web pages\u200b. The chatbot references over 3,600 public U-M web pages to cover a wide range of topics. This means new staff get answers that are specific to U-M and aligned with current university resources and policies. For example, a new hire might ask, \u201cHow do I enroll in my U-M benefits?\u201d or \u201cWhere should I park if I work at Wolverine Tower?\u201d and Maizey will respond with helpful guidance, complete with links to the U-M web pages for reference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benefits-eligible, non-bargained-for staff on Ann Arbor’s campus can access Maizey as soon as their U-M login is active. Additionally, every answer the chatbot provides cites its source, allowing users to verify the information. Additionally, by utilizing U-M\u2019s own Maizey platform\u2014 a secure, no-code AI service developed at U-M\u2014the tool ensures that data remains private and that content remains up-to-date with U-M\u2019s latest websites. The result is an AI assistant uniquely tailored to the needs of U-M\u2019s new employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maizey ensures that new employees don\u2019t have to dig or wait for a response to an email. It offers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n