Compare tools side by side
Pick two or three tools to see their ratings and the supplier’s answers next to each other. Useful when you’re deciding which one your school should use.
| Field | Blackboard (AI Design Assistant) |
|---|---|
| Staff rating | Amber Doesn’t say if it is a processor or controller |
| Pupil rating | Red Supplier says it is not for pupils |
| Main use | VLE and learning platforms |
| SupplierThe company that makes and runs the tool. | Anthology |
| CategoryWhat sort of tool it is, for example a chatbot or a lesson-planning helper. | learning platform (VLE) |
| Pupil-facingWhether pupils use it directly, or only staff. Pupil use needs extra care. | no - instructor-facing |
| Processor or controllerA processor only uses data on your school’s instructions. A controller makes its own decisions about the data, which means your school has less say. | not stated |
| Where data is storedWhich country the data is stored in. UK or EU storage is usually simpler for schools. | Microsoft Azure OpenAI |
| Trains AI models on inputsWhether what you type (or upload) may be used to improve the supplier’s AI. “No” is what you want for anything about pupils or staff. | no - Anthology does not fine-tune with client data; Microsoft does not retrain on inputs |
| How long inputs are keptHow long the supplier keeps what you type before deleting it. | prompts and outputs kept up to 30 days by Microsoft for content filtering |
| Data processing agreement (DPA)The data processing agreement: the contract that sets out how the supplier must look after your school’s data. | not stated |
| Signs individual DPAs with schoolsWhether the supplier will sign a data agreement with your school specifically, rather than just standard online terms. | not stated |
| UK GDPR representative / DPOWhether the supplier names a data protection officer or UK representative you can contact about data questions. | not stated |
| Minimum ageThe youngest age the supplier allows to use the tool. Check this before any pupil uses it. | not stated |
| Key safety noteAnything else worth knowing, such as admin controls or content filtering. | opt-in by institution |
| Research statusHow complete our research on this tool is. | sourced |
| Last checked | 2026-10-23 |
Ratings are a rules-based summary of each supplier’s published terms. Not legal advice. How we rate tools