UNSW signs a deal with Generative AI company OpenAI, but the consequences could be degenerative

As Artificial Intelligence roots itself into the foundations of academia, universities across the globe have to decide whether to embrace this change openly or lock their doors with AI companies standing pitifully outside. Some leading universities across the world, such as Oxford, Columbia and London Business School to name a few, are recognising our changing times and taking the former approach by signing deals with OpenAI, the owner of ChatGPT. These partnerships exist to set their students and staff up with ChatGPT Edu which is powered by the latest version of their generative pre-trained transformer model (GPT-4o) but claims to have inbuilt protections for the intellectual property of researchers, meaning their data or any data students enter cannot be used to train AI models. Not only does ChatGPT Edu allow users to generate text and images with ChatGPT, but also to build their own custom GPT-based models, as well as give universities tools to administer the use of their AI and have more control over data privacy.

In a historic move, UNSW will become the first university in the Asia-Pacific region to join the above universities in signing a deal with OpenAI. In an article written by Julia Holman published on the UNSW Newsroom website, Dr Chrissy Burns, UNSW’s Chief Information Officer, states that she believes the partnership is pivotal in embracing technology that is tailored to the needs of all people on UNSW’s campuses. She says this partnership is “preparing our community to thrive as AI-natives,” which seems to be the overall aim. Many other high-ranking UNSW executives agree with her sentiment.

This move comes as little shock to those familiar with UNSW’s Generative AI in Education 2024 PVCE Plan, a document published in June of last year outlining the university's approach to AI in academia and education in full. Published by the office of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education, this document states that “it is imperative for UNSW to proactively equip both staff and students to navigate the realm of AI-assisted learning professional practice.” The purpose of the plan is to prepare staff and students for the new world of generative AI usage by building its capacity at the university, setting out guidelines for its use, providing appropriate access to AI at the university, and leading innovation in this area. 

As a general ‘roadmap’ for how they aim to achieve this, the plan elaborates on short, medium and long-term goals. The short-term goals, which have supposedly been achieved since the plan was put out, are that UNSW aims to develop an AI capability framework with input from students, academics, leadership and industry, pilot the implementation of AI and test and evaluate many AI tools. In the medium term, starting now, the university wants to embed AI in new and existing courses, ensure it aligns with UNSW’s strategic goals i.e. its societal impact, research applications, abilities for industry partnership etc., and evaluate its effectiveness in improving accessibility in teaching and learning. In the long term, UNSW wants to fully integrate AI into curricula and continue developing AI educational tools, especially in collaboration with industry partners and establish policy around this change. Their OpenAI partnership is obviously a big step in the early days of this overhaul.

The next step to get the new partnership off its feet will be that this upcoming term will be the start of a year-long pilot program involving 500 participants across the University. Staff feedback will be received every three months to determine the usefulness and impact on teaching observed by this partnership. A pilot with a select group of students and their teachers is also in the works for early in the year.

With this partnership going ahead, there is much to be hopeful about, however, many concerns surrounding the known pitfalls of Generative AI are still present; namely its issues with misinformation, bias, discrimination, theft from artists and creators, and most importantly, its environmental impact as UNSW emphasises energy efficiency and green technologies, striving for net zero emissions by 2030. There is also an ongoing political debate around OpenAI, its stakeholders and its biases, so while the future of AI is bright at UNSW, we must all watch this space.