Ask Northwestern (AI Overviews)
Northwestern search now features AI overviews that deliver summarized answers alongside traditional search results. Powered by Google Gemini through the Google Agent Platform, Ask Northwestern is currently available on select Northwestern websites.
How does it work?
When you search on a participating Northwestern website, the AI overview feature gathers and synthesizes publicly available information from across Northwestern sites. Responses do not rely on independent reasoning. The result is a summarized answer shown alongside standard search results. AI overviews only appear when your search query is more than two words and the phrase is not found as an exact match in the search index.
Users are encouraged to double check responses, since AI can make mistakes.
What information does it search?
Only public Northwestern websites are used as sources. The AI overview draws exclusively from Level 1 Northwestern web content. No private, restricted, or authenticated pages are included. Inline sources are provided after each paragraph or section.
Does it save my information?
No. Each question asked by users is treated independently. No user information or data is retained.
What is the purpose of this feature?
The AI Overview is designed to answer common questions by bringing together information from across multiple Northwestern websites. Instead of searching through several pages, you receive an AI-generated summary along with relevant search results that provide additional context and resources for further exploration.
How can I get better responses from Ask Northwestern?
To get the best results from Ask Northwestern, be as specific as possible about what you need. Provide relevant context, clearly define the task, and explain your role or perspective when appropriate. Since AI can only work with information you give it, clear and detailed instructions lead to more relevant and useful responses.
Example: If you're looking for undergraduate tuition information for the upcoming academic year, asking a broad question such as "What is tuition?" may return results for multiple tuition-based programs. A more specific question, such as "What is the 2025-2026 tuition for a full-time undergraduate student?"is more likely to produce a relevant and useful response.
Who do I contact for help?
If you encounter an issue with an "AI Overview" summary or would like to get your site added to the index, please contact webcomm support.