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Arizona State University (ASU) has announced around 250 ongoing projects in collaboration with artificial intelligence (AI) titan OpenAI to bring the advanced capabilities of ChatGPT into higher education.
In January 2024, ASU became the pioneer higher education institution to integrate ChatGPT Enterprise into teachings, research, and other operations. Since then, the university has transitioned to ChatGPT Edu, ensuring that data being fed into the technology is contained in the ASU workspace to safeguard privacy.
“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,” stated ASU Chief Information Officer Lev Gonick.
ASU rising to AI innovation challenge
Immediately after its OpenAI deal was made official, ASU faculty and staff were invited to submit project proposals using ChatGPT Edu as part of the university’s AI Innovation Challenge. “What we’ve learned at ASU is that if you want to focus on the impact of technology, start by asking the community what they want to solve for,” explained Gonick.
The submissions were required to be focused on supporting the educational experience for students and faculty, advancing research for the public good, and contributing to a more productive and supportive work environment.
Within weeks, ASU received nearly hundreds of proposals, representing more than 80% of its schools and colleges. In March, the university opened a second round of proposals and extended the challenge to student researchers.
As of August, about 500 proposals have been submitted, and OpenAI reported that half of these have already been activated.
250 AI projects in progress
The projects cover different areas, from AI-driven behavioral health training to bias detection and enhanced workforce development. “While we expected that ChatGPT would find a home in engineering and the sciences, we’ve been surprised by just how diverse adoption has been across almost every department,” Gonick noted.
One of the projects is “AI as a writing companion,” which enables students to receive real-time feedback on writeups, improving arguments and ensuring submissions earlier or within deadlines.
Another is a ChatGPT-powered chatbot called “Sam,” which medical students use to practice communicating with patients through role-based conversations. Clinical Professor Colleen Cordes noted that the bot not only trains students to learn motivational skills but also makes it easier for her to provide qualitative feedback using the transcript of the interaction provided by ChatGPT.
When it comes to research, Ph.D. student Amber Hedquist is leveraging AI to effectively and ethically recruit participants as part of the Research Plus Me initiative at ASU.
“When researchers need members of the community to participate in their research study, it can be hard to reach out to the population and convey what opportunity you’re offering in a way that is understandable and ethical,” said Hedquist. “This GPT helps to ensure that the reading level is comprehensible and properly highlights the opportunity without a lot of scientific jargon.”
Maintaining privacy amid AI push
Throughout this collaboration, ASU guarantees that faculty and student privacy is maintained as with any other technology. The transition to ChatGPT Edu serves as a significant step in protecting intellectual property and enforcing security requirements in teaching and learning environments.
OpenAI also stressed that practitioners across disciplines meet regularly to ensure the use of ChatGPT in higher education is responsible and ethical by sharing work on digital trust, data governance, and learning experience.
Aligned with that, ASU President Michael Crow said that the integration of AI into higher education has convinced their faculty to review learning methodologies.
True to that, the university has already opened undergraduate and graduate AI degrees this year. “We’ll soon start graduating students that will have the AI aptitude to make an immediate impact in whatever work they pursue,” Gornick shared.
