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PhoenixAI Updated with New Features and HIPAA Compliance

June 11, 2025By IT Services

IT Services updated the PhoenixAI service on June 10 to add new features and make changes to critical components. The service was also updated to be HIPAA compliant. 

New Features

  • Internet Search: This allows an Assistant and individual chats or threads to access up-to-date information. When this option is disabled, responses are based only on existing knowledge and may not include recent events. When enabled, the Assistant can search the web to provide more current answers, including clickable source links showing where the information came from.

  • Dark Mode: This feature provides a darker interface that may be easier on the eyes, especially in low-light environments.

  • GPT 4.1 Model: The service updated from GPT-4o to GPT-4.1 as the new standard model, which will be automatically selected when opening PhoenixAI. This new model, released in April 2025, can handle longer contexts and is better at following instructions.

  • o3 Model: The service introduced the o1 model in February 2025 and has now updated to o3 as the alternate model. This model offers multi-step “reasoning” abilities and will excel at demanding tasks such as advanced coding challenges, mathematical problem-solving, and strategic planning. However, it is not as fast as 4.1 due to its complexity.

  • Group-Based Access for Assistants: If you have an Assistant you would like to share with a large group (ex: all students in a course), submit a request form to initiate setup.

  • Chat Retention: You can choose to automatically delete inactive threads and chats after a specified period of inactivity. When enabled, any thread/chat that remains inactive for the selected number of days will be permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.

HIPAA Compliance

Though PhoenixAI is now HIPAA compliant, it is approved only for use with research-related health information (RHI). PhoenixAI should not be used for clinical decision-making, patient care, or any purpose outside approved research protocols. This system is strictly for authorized academic researchers who have completed the required HIPAA and research ethics training. 

PhoenixAI is committed to protecting user privacy, including the specific needs of protecting health information. To support this, all inactive threads, Assistants, and related data for BSD and UCM users will be automatically deleted after 90 days of inactivity. Additionally, sharing of threads and assistants will be restricted to minimize the risk of unintentional data exposure. Please note that some features available in the general release—such as certain models and internet search—are not yet accessible to BSD and UCM users. 

Additional Information

As part of the PhoenixAI update, Assistants created before June 10 must be recreated. View instructions for details on how to recreate Assistants.

Learn more about the new features of PhoenixAI in the release notes. Visit the Generative AI website for training materials, upcoming events, a video series on understanding generative AI, and additional resources.

If you have any questions or need support for PhoenixAI, please submit a request to the IT Services Self-Service Portal or call 773.702.5800 for immediate assistance.