Arizona State University (ASU) has named 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 roles.
ASU and OpenAI agreed earlier this year to collaborate and implement a customized version of ChatGPT designed to help with teaching, research, and other academic needs, called ChatGPT Edu. ChatGPT Edu is now a core part of the campus experience and serves ASU’s plans to use AI to create more personalized and accessible learning and research experiences.
“No two people learn in exactly the same way, and innovation has proven to be the most powerful asset we have,” ASU President Michael Crow explained. “Essential to ASU’s success is that we use technology, and now AI, to deliver lifelong learning and unlock human potential.”
ASU created the AI Innovation Challenge when the deal was announced, asking faculty to suggest ways ChatGPT could help them in their work. More than 80% of ASU’s schools and colleges submitted proposals within a few weeks, leading to a second round that was also open to student researchers. There are now more than 400 proposals under consideration, with more than 200 projects that have already started ChatGPT Edu in some form.
Academic AI
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 papers. Meanwhile, at the College of Health Solutions, there’s a virtual patient named “Sam,” a simulated middle-aged smoker powered by ChatGPT that gives students the chance to practice clinical care and interact with a patient. And then there’s “Research Plus Me,” which helps recruit participants for research and makes it more effective and ethical.
“We believe that training 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 where AI is improving their outcomes in the classroom.”
ASU’s success will likely serve as a model for other universities working with OpenAI and other AI developers. With all ethical considerations taken into account, AI could be a great boon to higher education. Attempts to ban ChatGPT and related tools entirely are unlikely to work, especially when it comes to distinguishing AI-written text from human composition. It makes sense that schools will look for ways to integrate AI into their campuses to better control it rather than drive it underground.