California State U. system deploys ChatGPT Edu to 460,000 students
The California State University system on Tuesday announced the nation’s largest deployment of OpenAI’s ChatGPT Edu platform, a version of its artificial intelligence-powered chatbot designed for use in higher education settings.
A press release that calls the deployment “unprecedented,” brags of a “highly collaborative public-private initiative” designed to bring AI adoption to 460,000 students and 63,000 faculty, staff and administrators.
“The comprehensive strategy will elevate our students’ educational experience across all fields of study, empower our faculty’s teaching and research, and help provide the highly educated workforce that will drive California’s future AI-driven economy,” CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia says in the release.
The chatbot deployment is paired with work by the university’s AI Workforce Acceleration Board, a group of representatives from California tech companies, the university and the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“The advisory board will also include CSU representatives who will collectively work to foster innovation and drive interdisciplinary practical applications of AI by organizing a series of AI challenges,” the release reads. “These events will be guided by the advisory board and encourage CSU students and faculty to work together on pressing issues such as climate change and housing affordability, leveraging AI technologies to create impactful solutions.”
OpenAI launched its ChatGPT Edu platform last summer, advertising it as including “enterprise-level security and controls” with a price point affordable for higher education institutions.
