California State University Partnership Brings ChatGPT to Campus
Credit: JasonDoiy / Getty Images- The California State University system announced a first-of-its-kind initiative with several technology companies, including Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI.
- The partnership will use artificial intelligence to “create an AI-powered higher education system.”
- ChatGPT Edu, a version of ChatGPT for education institutions, will be available across the 23-campus system to over half-a-million students, staff, and faculty.
More than 460,000 students across the California State University (CSU) system will have access to ChatGPT Edu, thanks to a partnership with OpenAI.
The partnership makes artificial intelligence (AI) technology available to more than half-a-million campus community members, transforming the university into “the first AI-powered university system in the United States.”
ChatGPT Edu is a version of ChatGPT for education institutions — and the partnership announced Tuesday is the largest ChatGPT deployment by a single organization or company worldwide, according to OpenAI.
“We are proud to announce this innovative, highly collaborative public-private initiative that will position the CSU as a global leader among higher education systems in the impactful, responsible, and equitable adoption of artificial intelligence,” CSU Chancellor Mildred García said in a statement.
The partnership aims to integrate AI into classroom studies and faculty tasks, providing students with skills they’ll need in an AI-driven workforce and economy.
The university said it will:
- Establish a dedicated, no-cost platform for AI tools, training programs, and certifications that are accessible systemwide
- Partner with faculty to adopt AI into teaching, learning, and research
- Provide students with AI workforce training through apprenticeship programs at AI technology-enabled organizations
The AI Workforce Acceleration Board — a collaboration between the CSU, the Office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and global technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Amazon Web Services — will lead the initiative.
One of the board’s duties will involve identifying necessary AI training for California’s workforce and economy. According to the CSU, California is home to 30 of the top 50 AI firms globally. However, over half of the AI workforce in the U.S. is international.
“The latest AI technologies can be used in many contexts, from academia to the workforce, and we are excited to work with industry leaders to help the CSU build on our success in an AI-driven economy,” Ed Clark, the CSU’s chief information officer, said in a statement.
“At the CSU, we have two imperatives: to equip our students with the skills to leverage these powerful tools, and to transform our own institutional practices through AI to better serve the largest public university system in the nation.”
Several universities across the country have already begun incorporating AI on their campuses. Among them is Arizona State University, which launched the first ChatGPT-higher ed partnership last February.
Other institutions like the University of Michigan and the University of California campuses in Irvine and San Diego have built their own campus-specific AI platforms.
Whether an institution has a dedicated AI platform or not — students are interested in learning how to use AI in the classroom and beyond. A 2023 BestColleges survey found that 43% of college students have used ChatGPT or a similar AI application, while 61% think AI tools will become the new normal.
“We’re still in the early stages of AI adoption in education, and it is critical that the entire
ecosystem — education systems, technologists, educators, and governments — work together to ensure that all students globally have access to AI and develop the skills to use it responsibly,” Leah Belsky, vice president and general manager of education at OpenAI, said in a statement.
“CSU is setting a bold and powerful example for the education sector.”