• UNSW Sydney is the first university in the Asia-Pacific region to sign an Education Agreement with OpenAI
• The enterprise-level collaboration will allow UNSW researchers, educators and students to use the OpenAI tool ChatGPT Edu for enhancements, efficiencies, and the creation of custom AI GPTs (or bots) on a secure platform
• The collaboration builds on UNSW’s strategy to embed AI in all aspects of the University, developing staff and students into AI-natives
• The benefits will include utilising AI to give time back, more personalised learning opportunities, and tools designed to improve the staff and student experience
UNSW Sydney has initiated a major collaboration with OpenAI, becoming the first university in the Asia-Pacific region to work with the US-based research organisation to deploy ChatGPT Edu.
The collaboration with OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, will allow UNSW researchers, educators and students to harness OpenAI’s advanced AI tools on a secure platform. This means academics can protect their intellectual property whilst using OpenAI’s ChatGPT to complement and enhance their work.
It builds on UNSW’s efforts as a world leader in the development of AI as a safe, reliable and ubiquitous technology for global benefit. UNSW joins the likes of Oxford, Columbia and Arizona State universities, as well as the London Business School and Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania to bring this technology to campus.
The agreement offers UNSW staff and students more robust, secure, and bespoke technology compared to the standard Free or Plus ChatGPT versions. It also means any prompts the UNSW community inputs into ChatGPT remain private and the data can’t be used for model training.
Dr Chrissy Burns, UNSW’s Chief Information Officer, said students and staff will benefit from the collaboration. “This partnership with OpenAI represents a pivotal moment in our journey to integrate cutting-edge technology into the fabric of UNSW. By leveraging the enterprise-level capabilities of ChatGPT Edu, we can ensure our researchers, educators, and students have access to secure and advanced AI tools tailored to their needs,” she said.
“This collaboration aligns seamlessly with UNSW’s strategy to embed AI across all disciplines, driving innovation, safeguarding intellectual property, and preparing our community to thrive as AI-natives in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.”
Leah Belsky, General Manager of Education at OpenAI said: “We’re delighted to collaborate with UNSW Sydney in this first-of-its-kind partnership in the Asia Pacific, providing researchers, educators, and students with secure, advanced AI tools to enhance learning, innovation, and productivity.”
UNSW Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Attila Brungs, said the collaboration will be used across the University to enhance research, teaching and the student experience.
“From engineering to health, business and science, AI is revolutionising research and education by making learning more personalised, accessible, and impactful. We are excited to be the first university in the Asia-Pacific to sign an agreement with OpenAI, expanding our reputation as the place where leading entrepreneurial and innovative thinkers choose to work and study.”
The UNSW OpenAI Pilot
A 12-month targeted pilot is currently underway at UNSW to develop usages for ChatGPT Edu, involving 500 participants across the University. The pilot is focusing on enhancing productivity, curriculum development and student and teacher support.
Staff feedback will be gathered every three months to determine the usefulness and impact on productivity, learning and teaching. A controlled pilot with a selected cohort of students and their teaching staff is also planned for early 2025.
Professor Paul Andon, Senior Deputy Dean for Education and Student Experience at the UNSW Business School, shared his enthusiasm for this pilot. "As Australia's leading business school, we are thrilled to be driving this educational transformation in partnership with OpenAI. Through this pilot, we are exploring innovative ways to collaborate with AI, to unlock new possibilities to elevate the learning experience at scale for business educators and students."
This agreement with OpenAI is part of UNSW’s strategy to develop students and staff into AI-natives, harnessing the power of these tools and growing the awareness and understanding of the opportunities and challenges that come with AI. UNSW also has agreements with other AI platforms including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and Adobe.
Contact details:
For interviews and enquiries please contact Julia Holman on 0435 124 673 or julia.holman@unsw.edu.au
