Arizona State University (ASU) has made ChatGPT its busiest faculty member this year. The AI chatbot helps students write academic papers, simulates patients for healthcare students, and recruits participants for research studies, among hundreds of other functions.
Earlier this year, ASU and OpenAI agreed to work together to implement a tailored version of ChatGPT designed to assist with teaching, research, and other academic needs, called ChatGPT Edu. ChatGPT Edu is now a key part of the campus experience and contributes to ASU’s plans to use AI to make learning and research experiences more personalized and accessible.
“No two people learn in exactly the same way, and innovation has proven to be the most powerful asset we have,” explained ASU President Michael Crow. “Critical to ASU’s success is that we use technology, and now artificial intelligence, to deliver lifelong learning and unlock human potential.”
ASU created the AI Innovation Challenge when it announced the agreement, asking faculty to suggest ways ChatGPT could help their work. More than 80 percent of ASU schools and colleges submitted proposals in just a few weeks, leading to a second round that was also open to student researchers. There are now more than 400 proposals under consideration, and more than 200 projects employing ChatGPT Edu in some form have already been initiated.
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Highlights of ChatGPT Edu include the “AI as a Writing Companion” program. ChatGPT helps students write for academic settings with real-time feedback on their work. Meanwhile, at the College of Health Solutions, there is a virtual patient named “Sam,” a simulated middle-aged smoker powered by ChatGPT that gives students the opportunity to practice clinical care and interact with a patient. There is also “Research Plus Me,” which helps recruit participants for research and helps make it more effective and ethical.
“We believe that empowering students to use AI is essential to their future success in the workplace,” said Anne Jones, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. “People are excited because they now have concrete examples to point to of how AI is improving their outcomes in the classroom.”
ASU’s success is likely to serve as a model for other universities working with OpenAI and other AI developers. With all due ethical considerations, AI can be a boon to higher education. Attempts to ban ChatGPT and related tools are unlikely to actually work, especially when it comes to distinguishing AI-written text from human compositions. It makes sense for schools to look for ways to integrate AI into their campuses to better control it rather than keep it hidden.
