Thoughts on the partnership between ASU and OpenAI

A big nothing, a pending disaster, or a step in the right direction?

Recently, OpenAI and Arizona State University announced a partnership that will give ASU students and faculty access to the "most advanced iteration of ChatGPT." (I'm not quite sure that that means.)

This is big news, although it wasn't all that surprising to me. ASU is the largest public university in the United States (I think). ASU's President, Michael Crow is known for pushing the boundaries of higher ed. So, I wasn't really surprised when I saw that ASU was OpenAI's first higher ed partner. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

I have mixed feelings about the partnership. On the one hand, this may turn out to be a bunch of hype without much substance. Anyone who has been around higher ed for awhile is skeptical about these sorts of partnerships (with good reason). It's also possible that applications will be shoved down the throats of faculty without sufficient thought and testing. Time will tell.

I think this is a step in the right direction.

Banning generative AI is wrong-headed and ultimately a losing battle. So, I've advocated embracing generative AI since my first interactions with ChatGPT. I teach my students how to use generative AI ethically and effectively, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. Having a huge, well-resourced university act as a test bed may ultimately be beneficial for all of us. As I said, time will tell. Regardless, I'll be keeping a close eye on how this partnership plays out. You might want to do the same.

Link: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/01/19/arizona-state-joins-chatgpt-first-higher-ed-partnership#