Kindai University tests Gemini answers inside its student portal
Japan’s Kindai University has added Gemini-powered answers to its KDU Mobile student app in a trial with Cyber Education Technologies. The test targets 5,151 science and engineering students, who can ask questions about timetables, announcements and course syllabuses. The university plans to assess answer accuracy and appropriateness using usage information and student feedback. The planned trial period extends through the end of January 2027.
Artificial Intelligence··Morning
Students can ask the portal for course information
Kindai University in Japan started a Gemini-powered question-answering trial in its KDU Mobile student portal on October 19 with education-platform developer Cyber Education Technologies.[1], [2]
Students enter questions in a conversation box to find information already available through the app. Examples include the day’s timetable, new announcements, whether assignments are due and requirements described in course syllabuses. Gemini is the AI model used by the feature. The trial adds a conversational route to university information inside the existing student portal, where students previously used searching and scrolling to find the material they needed.[1]
The trial targets a defined group of students
The initial target is science and engineering undergraduates and students in the associated graduate school. According to the university’s May 1 count, that population totals 5,151 students. It is the size of the eligible group, rather than a count of people who have already used the AI feature. The university plans a trial running from October 19 through the end of January 2027, with the end date subject to actual usage. KDU Mobile itself combines a digital student identity card, timetables and university announcements. Portal operations began in 2025 and expanded to more student groups during 2026. The AI trial adds information retrieval to that existing service. Broad use of the student app does not mean the new AI function is open to everyone; access to the trial remains limited to the specified group.[1]
Accuracy and student feedback guide the evaluation
A university analysis in July found that many students had turned off notifications and were looking for information through searches and scrolling. The new trial responds to that pattern of use. Kindai plans to collect usage information and student feedback to examine whether answers are accurate and appropriate. It also intends to adjust the system using conversation histories. Those assessments are part of the trial, rather than an established reliability result. The university describes expansion to every faculty, support for course registration and individual career or future-planning advice as longer-term intentions. These remain separate from the question-answering functions offered to the initial science and engineering group.[1]
