The California State University (CSU) system continues to develop as students enter a new artificial intelligence (AI) era, possibly changing and challenging education as society knows it.
On Feb. 4, CSU Chancellor Mildred García announced that the CSU system will be launching the nation's first-ever public-private initiative to introduce an AI-powered system that will enhance learning, research, and teaching tools, according to a CSU Campus update.
The public-private initiative is an agreement between a public agency whether its a federal, state or a private company, according to The Construction Agency.
Erik Viovode, a fifth-year vocal performance student at San José State, has kept up to date with the new AI initiative especially with AI being more prominent in day-to-day life.
“This is definitely a huge step for the CSU system,” Viovode said. “Whether it’s helpful or harmful will take some time to figure out.”
This CSU AI initiative will involve the collaboration of several high-tech companies such as Adobe, OpenAI, LinkedIn and others under ChatGPT Edu and will be available across all 23 CSU campuses, according to a Feb. 6 CBS 8 article.
The collaboration of large tech companies has led to some worry from the California Faculty Association, who believe it should be up to faculty members to decide if they want to implement this new program and work with these companies to see how it will be monitored.
“The biggest problem that I see with this initiative is the ability to accurately monitor if students are actively using these programs to help them with their work and what those repercussions will be if students are caught not using it properly,” Viovode said.
The CSU system and companies are working together to ensure concerns about the ethics of using AI in education. A solution that was presented is to implement AI Ethics training to ensure programs are being used properly, according to Forbes article.
“For me, I’m a music major so one way you can see it being harmful is if AI, such as ChatGPT, is asked to compose music for projects (and) recitals, directly impacting those who are studying for years on end how to write music that either follow or deliberately breaks the rules of music theory,” Viovode said.
This new system may allow students to be better prepared for a workforce that continues to change to become more AI-focused, according to the same CBS 8 article
One of the many goals outlined for this innovation is for students to meet the high demand of the AI sector especially since California is home to top tech companies and overall contributes to California’s lead in the AI sector, according to a Forbes article.
Martina Petrocelly, a first-year undeclared student at SJSU, said that AI will progress in some majors more than others.
“I think with AI it will definitely benefit more majors than others, more specifically STEM-focused majors which ultimately could make it harder for students whose majors aren't STEM-focused to find internship opportunities or even job opportunities,” Petrocelly said.
SJSU has already made a step towards integrating this innovation.
On Dec. 12, 2024, SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson and San José Mayor Matt Mahan announced their collaboration with NVIDIA, according to a Dec. 12, 2024 SJSU News Center article.
NVIDIA, the inventors of graphic processing units, allowed for the growth of the PC gaming industry. Throughout the years they have developed and shaped to be more AI focused according to NVIDIA.
The main goal of this collaboration between SJSU and NVIDIA is to ensure the success of SJSU students, according to a Dec. 12, SJSU News Center article.
With several alumni already working at this tech company, President Teniente-Matson believes this collaboration was a natural fit and can be used as a model that AI can be used in a positive way, according to the same SJSU News Center article.
“It almost doesn’t feel real and I'm not entirely sure how it will look for each university but with SJSU in Silicon Valley I can assume it will overall have a positive impact,” said Petrocelly.
Another benefit that was listed with the implementation of AI in the CSU system is the tools that it can provide to faculty, according to the same Forbes article.
However, Charley Sanders, a first-year public health student, said that this may not always be the case.
“I have heard some professors express some concern, especially some that aren't getting paid enough – it almost feels like they are trying to replace them,” Sanders said. “My English professor said it will take some getting used to, this new upcoming system, but we have to learn to adapt with the times.”
While progress has already been made in implementing AI into the CSU system, the cost of this new system comes with concern after recent budget cuts.
Ed Clark, the CSU chief information officer, will be paying $16.9 million over an 18-month term to OpenAI for ChatGPT Edu, according to a Feb. 10 article from The Mercury News.
This comes just after CSU system-wide budget cuts that have been detrimental to several programs.
Andy Luu, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student, brought up the concern with what these budget cuts can bring.
“Like always, the first to go is humanities and sports and stuff like that which are already not very present in our education,” Luu said in an interview in an SJSU News article.
However, if the university system is already cutting down on education funding it is concerning to some students how much they could increase tuition in response.
“The CSU system should continue to focus on the monetary issues, especially since there was a recent budget cut, meaning that students may have to pay even more for the already expensive education that they are striving to achieve,” Viovode said.
