In a campus-wide email, the California State University announced an initiative that will make all 23 CSUs part of the first and largest artificial intelligence-powered university system.
According to the email, the CSU and the Office of California Governor Gavin Newsom are working with tech companies such as Adobe, Alphabet (Google), Amazon Web Services, IBM, Instructure, Intel, LinkedIn, Microsoft, NVIDIA and OpenAI. Training and teaching in AI use will be available for 460,000 students and 63,000 faculty and staff.
“At the heart of this groundbreaking effort is the AI Workforce Acceleration Board, a collaboration with nearly a dozen of the world’s leading tech companies and Governor Newsom’s Office that will identify and advocate for AI skills needed in California’s workforce and its economy,” the campus-wide email said.
In addition to the AI Workforce Acceleration Board, the CSU will work with OpenAI to deploy ChatGPT Edu. This implementation offers a version of ChatGPT that allows advanced tools, security and controls for the universities.
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The CSU plans to make these tools available in the next few weeks across the universities.
“The comprehensive strategy will elevate our students’ educational experience across all fields of study, empower our faculty’s teaching and research, and help provide the highly educated workforce that will drive California’s future AI-driven economy,” CSU Chancellor Mildred García said in the email.
Included in the email announcement were targets for key CSU AI strategies:
- AI Commons Hub: The CSU will create a dedicated platform that will offer AI tools, training programs and certifications, and CSU-developed solutions to all students, faculty, and staff at no cost, ensuring a broad and inclusive approach to skill-building across the university system.
- AI Educational Innovations: The CSU will partner with its faculty to enhance teaching, learning and research by empowering faculty with AI tools, resources, and training. This strategy will enable transformative teaching methods, foster groundbreaking research, and address key concerns about AI adoption within the academic environment.
- AI Workforce Training: Students attending the CSU will have opportunities to work in AI technology-enabled organizations through apprenticeship programs within the industry, gaining valuable real-world experience to enhance their employability. These opportunities will serve as a pipeline of AI-skilled graduates ready to meet the demands of California’s future economy.
When reached out for comment, Sac State referred the State Hornet to the CSU . The CSU was unable to give comment due to the timeliness of this piece and referred the State Hornet to the email announcement mentioned in this article.
