OpenAI has announced a partnership with Arizona State University (ASU), making it their first collaboration with a higher education institution. ChatGPT Enterprise, OpenAI's advanced language model, will be made available to ASU in February and will be utilised across various areas such as coursework, tutoring, and research.

ASU Chief Information Officer Lev Gonick stated that this partnership was in the works for at least six months, with previous use of ChatGPT and other AI tools by faculty and staff. ChatGPT Enterprise, which was launched in August, offers enhanced features, including access to GPT-4, increased performance, and unrestricted API credits.

ASU has ambitious plans for ChatGPT Enterprise, aiming to develop a personalised AI tutor for students that extends beyond specific courses to cover various study topics. The primary focus will be on STEM subjects, which are often challenging for students. Furthermore, the university intends to use ChatGPT Enterprise in their largest course, Freshman Composition, to provide valuable writing assistance to students.

Additionally, ASU will leverage the capabilities of ChatGPT Enterprise to create AI avatars, acting as creative study companions for different subjects. For example, AI bots capable of singing or writing poetry related to biology will be developed.

Gonick expressed his enthusiasm for the removal of usage caps through access to ChatGPT Enterprise, particularly for their popular prompt engineering course, which is not limited to engineering students. Furthermore, he emphasised the importance of student privacy and intellectual property, assuring that OpenAI's tool offers a 'private walled-garden environment."'

OpenAI and ASU have jointly stated that any prompts entered by the ASU community will remain secure, and the data will not be used for training AI models. This commitment addresses concerns raised against AI chatbots, like ChatGPT, which have been banned by several school districts due to cheating concerns.

OpenAI aims to learn from ASU's experience and expand the use of ChatGPT in higher education institutions. The partnership signifies a significant step in integrating AI technologies into higher education, offering benefits such as personalised tutoring, writing assistance, and creative AI companions. Both OpenAI and ASU prioritise student privacy and intend to explore the potential of AI in education while addressing concerns about cheating.

Overall, this collaboration serves as a pioneering design and thought partnership, providing insights for OpenAI on future partnerships with higher education institutions.

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/18/openai-announces-first-partnership-with-a-university.html