Cintana Education, Arizona State University, and Amazon Web Services join forces to create open source agentic AI tools.
A groundbreaking global partnership between Cintana Education, Arizona State University (ASU), and Amazon Web Services (AWS) is developing open source agentic AI tools designed to reshape higher education by expanding access, enhancing student support, and enabling universities to innovate at scale.
At the core of this initiative is a student-driven model—“Built for Students by Students.” Guided by AWS cloud experts and ASU’s AI Cloud Innovation Center (AI CIC), student developers are designing and testing real-world, open source solutions to make education more accessible and personalised.
The first tool under development is an agentic AI-powered support agent that assists prospective students throughout the admissions journey. Future projects include autonomous tutoring agents offering on-demand, curriculum-aligned support in students’ native languages. Initial pilots will begin in the Philippines and Ecuador through the ASU-Cintana Alliance, a network spanning 33 universities across 28 countries, serving more than 330,000 students.
A new AI-powered sandbox environment will enable universities worldwide to co-develop, test, and share AI-driven learning innovations, fostering knowledge exchange, especially for institutions in emerging markets.
“We’re designing the AI system to walk alongside students through their application process,” said Shristi Pathak, ASU graduate student and AI CIC developer.
“This live, multinational testbed allows us to accelerate learning cycles and ensure innovation is inclusive and relevant,” added Emiliano Diez, CTO, Cintana Education.
Valerie Singer, General Manager, Global Education at AWS, said, “By developing agentic AI solutions with student technologists, we’re helping institutions worldwide create more personalised and engaging learning environments.”
This open source collaboration marks a transformative step toward democratising AI innovation in education, turning learners into co-creators of the future.
