UPDATED 20:33 EDT / JANUARY 18 2024

AI

Arizona State University to use OpenAI’s ChatGPT Enterprise, hoping to enhance learning

OpenAI has agreed to make its most advanced generative artificial intelligence models available to students at Arizona State University.

ASU announced the partnership today, saying that the agreement will give its students unrestricted access to ChatGPT Enterprise. The school told CNBC it plans to use the technology for teaching, research and to aid students in other ways. For instance, it will develop a personalized AI tutor for students that can provide assistance with specific courses, study topics and writing assignments.

ChatGPT Enterprise debuted in August. It’s the company’s most premium access tier and allows subscribers to use its most advanced generative AI model, GPT-4, without any usage caps. It also offers performance that’s up to two times faster than other users and provides generous application programming interface credits for developers who want to embed the model into their own applications.

In a joint press release, the two organizations stressed that any data inputs provided by the university will be “private and secure,” and that the information will not be used by OpenAI for training its models. The school is now inviting faculty and staff members to submit ideas on how to use GPT-4 to aid in education.

ASU Chief Information Officer Lev Gonick told CNBC that the goal is to “develop AI-driven projects aimed at revolutionizing educational techniques, aiding scholarly research and boosting administrative efficiency.”

In particular, ChatGPT Enterprise will be integrated with ASU’s popular prompt engineering course. In addition, the university will use ChatGPT Enterprise to create AI avatars that can act as creative buddies for students in certain subjects. Some examples include AI bots that can write poetry or sing about biology, the school said.

Gonick said ASU has been planning this collaboration for at least six months, since he visited OpenAI’s headquarters last summer. Prior to that visit, the university’s faculty and staff had already been experimenting with ChatGPT and similar generative AI tools, he told CNBC.

ASU sees itself as a design and thought partner for OpenAI as it explores ways in which it can align its businesses for universities and other educational institutions.

Holger Mueller of Constellation Research Inc. said ASU has consistently shown its willingness to adopt new technologies, explaining that it is also an early adopter of quantum computing. “It’s doing the same now with generative AI, and there are many enterprises that could learn from it,” the analyst said. “Instead of waiting, denying and regulating new technology, it is better to embrace and transform with it, and this move by ASU will benefit its students.”

OpenAI Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap said learning is one of the main reasons why so many people love ChatGPT, so it makes sense to use it for educational purposes. “ASU continues to lead in innovation by integrating ChatGPT into its educational programs,” he added. “We’re keen to learn from ASU and work towards expanding ChatGPT’s impact in higher education.

Image: Alexandra_Koch/Pixabay

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