An AI Laboratory Assistant for Advanced Labs

Laboratory assistants powered by artificial intelligence have been developed for upper-level physics laboratories at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. A first trial was tested in the Fall semester of 2023 in a section of our Intermediate Modern Physics Laboratory; however, it is in our advanced physics laboratories where these agents have proven to be more useful for students and instructors. This presentation will discuss (1) the creation and fine tuning of these agents, (2) the benefits of their use for teaching and laboratory management, and (3) the limited student feedback available from a year of use in low enrollment classes.