University of Sydney offers free ChatGPT Edu to all

The University of Sydney will give all students and staff free access to OpenAI's ChatGPT Edu. The agreement also includes a AUD $1 million fund for research into AI's environmental impact.

The rollout will cover teaching, research and administrative work, with training and support provided across the institution. The move is part of a broader approach to AI adoption that keeps the university's in-house education platform, Cogniti, as the preferred classroom tool for educators.

ChatGPT Edu will be introduced in stages rather than all at once. Additional features will be enabled progressively, and the rollout will follow the university's Responsible AI Framework, with safeguards on security, privacy and responsible use.

University data will not be used to train models. The institution also plans to use pilots, focus groups and staff development programmes to shape the rollout and assess further AI investments and partnerships.

Professor Mark Scott, Vice-Chancellor and President, said the initiative is intended to help prepare students for work, support research and improve administrative efficiency.

"It's our responsibility to graduate students who are well equipped for the modern world of work, provide our researchers with the tools they need to continue our globally competitive research, and make our University systems and processes easier to navigate for our community," Scott said.

Teaching focus

The new access to ChatGPT Edu will sit alongside changes the university has already made to assessment and teaching in response to generative AI. Its model uses what it calls a two-lane approach, with supervised assessments designed to test students' own knowledge and unsupervised assessments allowing them to show how they use AI effectively and responsibly.

Cogniti, a platform developed by the university, will remain central to classroom teaching. ChatGPT Edu will supplement rather than replace it, broadening AI access for brainstorming, collaboration, analysis and general queries.

"AI is rapidly reshaping the workforce our graduates will enter and our goal is to help all our students use AI effectively while ensuring they leave university with the human capabilities, the knowledge, skills, judgement, creativity, ethical awareness and adaptability they'll continue to need to thrive in the jobs of the future," Scott said.

"Free access to ChatGPT Edu, alongside other platforms including Cogniti, supports a level playing field for AI use, with all students able to apply its advanced features to enable easier collaboration in group learning activities, develop ideas and brainstorm, undertake advanced information analysis, ask questions, all while building AI literacy."

OpenAI described the agreement as a significant university investment in student skills and practical exposure to AI tools.

"Students have the curiosity and creativity to push the boundaries of what's possible with AI. Investments like this will help them graduate with the skills and experience to put those strengths to work and ultimately shape the future.

"AI is transforming how the world learns, and students are leading the way. The University of Sydney is backing that ambition by giving students and staff the tools and support to think critically, solve hard problems and turn ideas into action," said Kiran Mani, Managing Director for APAC, OpenAI.

Sustainability fund

Alongside the software rollout, the university is creating an AI Sustainability Research and Innovation Fund worth AUD $1 million. It is intended to support research into how AI affects energy use and the environment, and to develop ways to measure and reduce those effects.

The work will draw on existing expertise across multiple disciplines and on the university's computing infrastructure. The institution pointed to projects already under way in areas including photonic chips for AI models, neurodegenerative disease measurement, sustainable energy production, structural biology and the social effects of AI.

University researchers have also contributed to policy discussions on data centres and AI through parliamentary inquiries at state and federal level. That gives the fund a policy dimension as well as a research one, particularly as scrutiny grows over the energy and water demands of expanding AI infrastructure.

"As we continue to incorporate the positive potential of AI across our research, teaching and operations, our strategic seeding investment of $1 million will serve as a platform to collaborate on research, policy and with industry through a 'living lab' approach," Scott said.

Governance and rollout

Nicole Gower, Vice-President Operations, said the university is trying to balance wider AI access with institutional controls and support. She said governance arrangements will guide adoption across the university and help manage risks around privacy, intellectual property and academic standards.

"Our implementation is being guided by the University's Responsible AI Framework which defines our principles and guardrails around the responsible use of AI, and provides oversight, governance and support for AI adoption across our institution," Gower said.

"Students and staff will be supported to explore how AI can add real value to learning and work, build capability to use AI while upholding academic integrity, safeguarding intellectual property, and maintaining the utmost standards in responsible use and privacy," Gower said.