Nearly two years after the release of Chat GPT, Lakeside School has begun purposefully integrating AI into education. This summer, the Grotto — home to Lakeside’s tech support — developed an in-house server to host AI models like the familiar ChatGPT, Meta’s Llama 3.1, as well as similar chatbots. The initiative was led over the summer by tech interns Gabi G. ’24, myself, Chase C. ’26, Kellen H. ’26, Julia H. ’27, and Michael W. ’27, following Chase and Kellen’s discovery of how simple it is to host large language models. The idea of building Lakeside’s own AI had been extensively discussed among technology faculty, but most believed it wouldn’t be feasible for a few more years.
Named after the Andromeda galaxy for its resemblance to a vast, unexplored phenomenon, Andromeda AI had a humble start. It originated in Computer End User Support Specialist Patrick Graff’s personal gaming computer, which was outfitted with a powerful graphics card. We began developing its AI capabilities by loading an open-source AI hosting model onto the computer, and then installing a local model of Meta’s Llama 3.0 AI. Although only a dozen users could simultaneously access the server, it allowed us to begin coding a “markup” website through which users could easily communicate with the AI. Without this webpage, users would have to type code directly intothe computer to ask it questions.
In collaboration with Lakeside’s communications department, we adopted Lakeside-themed branding by transforming the message panels to the school’s signature maroon and gold and adding the Lakeside lion crest to the sign-in page. Initially, the branding process appeared straightforward, but we quickly discovered that the AI’s code was built upon multiple coding languages. In reflection, Michael W. ’27 shared, “Most of our technical problems revolved around having difficulty getting stuff working in new environments. For example, we had trouble with our Linux installation seemingly every single time we changed the configuration of our system.”
Even on days when progress on the code felt slow, the vast possibilities of Andromeda kept us motivated. Currently, some Lakesiders can access Chat GPT 4o — one of the most advanced AIs available — through a $20 monthly subscription, while others do not have the means to do so. To address this issue, Andromeda offers Lakeside a solution: providing students and teachers with access to ChatGPT 4o in a financially inclusive manner. By operating on a locally hosted server, Lakeside is charged by token usage, calculated by the number of words exchanged between the server’s users and AI. So, rather than paying a subscription fee, Lakeside pays only when students actually use the service. This offers major potential savings: assuming students ask Andromeda 20, 500-token questions per day, Lakeside’s Upper School could save approximately $113,150 on AI per year.
In addition to promoting equitable access to AI, Andromeda presents yet another exciting prospect: the opportunity for interested students to gain hands-on experience in AI and full-stack web development as well as in coding languages like Svelte, Java, and Linux’s C.
To continue maintenance of Andromeda’s software and hardware, the technology department has facilitated the creation of a student-led Andromeda AI club. On top of managing maintenance, club members may have opportunities to propose and create educational enhancements to the AI, including utilizing the Application Programming Interface (APIs). This platform allows the creation of customizable chatbots, which follow a pre-written set of rules and can be developed in collaboration with teachers to support their specific classes. For example, a math-focused chatbot could offer hints, formulas, and strategies specific to how to solve calculus problems, rather than just providing the answer. Other club-led projects will fall into the four categories: front-end development, backend development, security management, and community outreach, with each initiative led by a student leader. This student participation is especially important considering outstanding issues with Andromeda. Namely, some details of the AI need to be finalized, such as addressing potential server-side security vulnerabilities, determining if mandated reporting applies to student conversations with Andromeda, and confirming the maximum concurrent user capacity.
Yet, when Andromeda AI was introduced for the first time to administrators and faculty in mid-August, Mr. de Grys, Lakeside academic dean, commented, “Many things impressed me about Andromeda, but the first thing that struck me was that this project sprang from a place of ‘how can we provide this amazing service to Lakeside students in a way that is inclusive, accessible, effective, and ethical?’” Since then, Ms. Badus has begun piloting the AI in her precalculus classes, marking the first example of Andromeda’s use in a classroom setting. History teacher Ms. Piper explained her own classes’ usage of AI this way: if a particular skill, such as graphic design, isn’t part of what she’s teaching, she doesn’t mind if we use AI to fill in that gap.
With its growing momentum, Andromeda AI’s future as part of Lakeside’s education looks promising. It will bring an innovative and inclusive resource, empowering students to learn alongside AI and marking the end of Lakeside’s long standing avoidance of AI in the classroom.
