ChatGPT Edu, fall 2024 and more: Dive into ASU’s collaboration with OpenAI

From the development of a language learning buddy to bridging the generational gap and beyond — these are just a few examples of projects underway that leverage ChatGPT Edu through the AI Innovation Challenge at Arizona State University (ASU).

To date, ASU has activated over 200 projects exploring ChatGPT Edu use across academic, research and work environments. As the university prepares for a new academic year, a third call for proposals is underway for the fall 2024 semester. 

Interested ASU faculty, staff and student researchers are invited to submit proposal ideas from now through Friday, September 6, 2024. Proposals will be evaluated and selected across two rounds:

- Round 1: Proposals submitted between July 17 - August 9 will be reviewed in round one, with selected projects to be granted licenses starting on August 19; all extension requests from summer 2024 are due in round one.

- Round 2: Proposals submitted between August 10 - September 6 will be reviewed in round two, with selected projects to be granted licenses starting on September 16.

Through this phased approach, the university ensures a seamless continuation of project work while providing time for new proposals to be crafted and submitted for the fall 2024 semester.

A deeper dive into ASU’s collaboration with OpenAI so far

Part 1: A collaboration creates a shared commitment to chart the future of AI and higher education

January 18, 2024, marked the launch of the collaboration between ASU and OpenAI. The announcement earned global recognition, as ASU became the first higher education institution to collaborate with the company by using ChatGPT at an enterprise level. 

The collaboration is managed within ASU Enterprise Technology, the team responsible for the university’s digital ecosystem. Here, a group of artificial intelligence (AI) and IT specialists evaluated ChatGPT Enterprise*, which offered new levels of privacy for users. 

Unlike the open model, the Enterprise solution does not use data to train its models, meaning any prompts the community inputs into the chat board remains private.

While ensuring the technical foundation was in place, ASU Enterprise Technology and the Office of the University Provost collaborated internally to design a pathway for introducing ChatGPT Enterprise to the Sun Devil community.

*In May 2024, OpenAI announced ChatGPT Edu, noting ASU as a key contributor to the launch; ASU would adopt ChatGPT Edu in summer 2024. 

Part 2: Placing ASU’s knowledge core at the forefront of discovery 

From there, the AI Innovation Challenge launched, placing ASU’s knowledge core – starting with faculty, staff and researchers — at the forefront of discovery. Only 14 days after the announcement, the university called for proposals on February 1. Approved projects would be provided access to ChatGPT Enterprise licenses for the remainder of the spring 2024 semester. 

Within the first two weeks, nearly 175 proposals were submitted, with 105 projects earning licenses. Faculty, researchers and staff began diving in to help uncover the use of generative AI across their disciplines. Through an evaluation of the projects underway, three areas of impact emerged: support teaching and learning, advance research and define the future of work. 

A focus on creating impact across these three areas would ultimately define and differentiate ASU’s approach to AI. Early explorations included the use of ChatGPT Enterprise as a writing companion in a graduate-level composition course, as well as the early stages of developing a language learning buddy. 

The university would go on to expand the call to proposals to student researchers for summer 2024. The second call for proposals launched on March 25, with 200 proposals received and 114 projects approved. Notably, 30 projects were extensions from the prior semester. 

Part 3: ASU's commitment to collaborate early with industry leaders 

On May 30, 2024, OpenAI announced its newest offering: ChatGPT Edu, a version of ChatGPT specifically designed for universities. The goal is to enable institutions to responsibly deploy AI to students, faculty, researchers, and campus operations. 

ASU was named a key contributor to help inform the development of the new product offering. In addition to surfacing hundreds of project ideas for the use of ChatGPT across academics, research and work, the AI Innovation Challenge provided key insights into scaling the product across an institution. 

From provisioning access to align with the movement of students across their academic journey to surfacing the need for more granular controls within a GPT, the AI Innovation Challenge helped to identify areas where a university differs from a traditional enterprise.

Part 4: The story continues to unfold 

Fast forward and ASU is now entering its third semester of the AI Innovation Challenge, with a call for proposals currently underway for fall 2024. 

And while ASU continues to uncover the meaningful and responsible use of generative AI across academic, research and work environments, the current success story centers on scale.

In under eight months, the university has accelerated adoption of ChatGPT Edu across the enterprise. This required integrating the product into the university's digital environment while nearly simultaneously creating space for faculty, staff and students to explore, to learn and to iterate on its use cases.

As the university prepares for the start of a new academic year this August, it enters the fall semester with 200 projects activated that explore the use of ChatGPT Edu. This is both a testament to the design of the AI Innovation Challenge and to the longer arc of ASU's commitment to advancing innovation.