OpenAI has announced that it will partner with Arizona State University in its first deployment of ChatGPT Enterprise at a higher education institution.
The university’s staff, faculty, and students have already been using ChatGPT to some degree, but this partnership will see a more formal and broadly integrated deployment of OpenAI’s enterprise version of ChatGPT.
ASU Chief Information Officer Lev Gonick said, “Research shows that nearly two-thirds of organizations are already actively exploring the integration of AI. By providing access to advanced AI capabilities, these tools are leveling the playing field, allowing individuals and organizations — regardless of size or resources — to harness the power of AI for creative and innovative endeavors.”
When ChatGPT first found its way onto campuses, academics were trying to figure out how to effectively evaluate student assignments that may have been written by the AI tool. Fears over plagiarism and cheating led some institutions to ban ChatGPT outright.
Educational institutions are now beginning to realize that AI has the potential to leverage their teaching efforts, rather than hamper them.
ASU President Michael M. Crow said, “ASU recognizes that augmented and artificial intelligence systems are here to stay, and we are optimistic about their ability to become incredible tools that help students to learn, learn more quickly, and understand subjects more thoroughly.”
Students and faculty will be invited to submit ideas for applications of ChatGPT at the university with a focus on “enhancing student success, forging new avenues for innovative research, and streamlining organizational processes.”
ASU has a strong focus on the tech underlying AI, in addition to using it in innovative ways as part of the learning experience.
The university is collaborating with chipmakers by adapting curricula, developing new research initiatives, and expanding its engineering department to provide the talent needed for Phoenix’s growing semiconductor industry.
ASU is credited by Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego as being a big influence behind chip giant TSMC committing billions of dollars for a new semiconductor plant in the city.
Speaking about the AI-driven need for hardware Crow said, “The world that we’re building is not the world we are coming out of. Microchips are now going to be the rough equivalency of electricity — or water.”
Once ChatGPT Enterprise is deployed and widely adopted it will undoubtedly boost the advances ASU’s students and faculty are making in tech and education innovation.
