California State University, the largest public university system in the country, will establish the nation’s first and largest artificial intelligence-powered platform for students, staff and faculty, Chancellor Mildred García announced this week.
The 23-campus system is partnering with several tech companies, including Adobe, NVIDIA, OpenAI, and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office to create a dedicated educational AI platform, according to a message sent out to the CSU community. The platform will be available in the next few weeks.
“This initiative, which surpasses any existing university model in both scale and impact, positions the CSU as a global leader among higher-education systems in the impactful, responsible and equitable adoption of artificial intelligence,” García said in Tuesday’s message.
The AI platform will include research, professional development and teaching tools and will be available to the entire CSU community at no cost. ChatGPT, one of the most popular generative AI tools, will also work with the CSU to deploy ChatGPT Edu, which offers advanced tools, security and controls for educational institutions.
The partnership between the CSU and these companies will allow students hands-on training with AI tools and assist both faculty and students in research, said CSUMB President Vanya Quiñones. The tools that will become available “have the potential to help us streamline processes across the system and universities,” she said.
“Cal State Monterey Bay prides itself on its ability to provide social mobility to our students and their families, and to be an economic driver for our region,” Quiñones said in a statement. “As such, we are continuously looking at how we can provide our students with the most relevant experiences and skills that will allow them to be successful across their lifetimes and careers by working closely with industry partners to develop programs that meet both the needs of our students and the community.”
CSU has established an AI Workforce Acceleration Board to work alongside students and faculty in order to identify pressing issues such as housing affordability that can be addressed through AI technology.
The board will include representatives from nearly a dozen leading tech companies as well as Newsom’s office. CSU representatives will also work with the board to drive applications of AI in schools, according to a news release. More tech companies are expected to join the advisory board in the coming months.
“At Google, we’re incredibly excited to partner with the CSU on this groundbreaking initiative,” said Drew Sidel, head of North America, Google Workspace for Education in the news release. “On the Google for Education Team, we’re committed to providing tools that are trustworthy, tailored for education and ever-evolving in an AI powered future … we’re proud to support the CSU in its mission to empower the next generation of AI leaders.”
CSU has placed an emphasis on the importance of recognizing AI as a tool to assist students in a variety of career fields as the technology continues to evolve and enter different workforces.
This push toward AI-assisted education is reflected in local schools, as many districts have been pursuing ways to implement AI technologies in classrooms. Schools have been designing AI policies to assist both students and educators while keeping an eye on the ethical implications of the technology.
“The CSU public-private initiative is the latest move that will provide our students with access to a rapidly evolving technology that is sure to be a force for the future of work across our state – AI,” Quiñones said. “I am excited that Cal State Monterey Bay is part of this new initiative and I look forward to seeing what our students, faculty and staff achieve.”
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