黑料吃瓜

The California State University system, the largest and most diverse public four-year university in the country, announced a first-of-its-kind public-private initiative to drive AI training and tools across the system. 

To do so, the CSU is working with some of the world鈥檚 leading tech companies, such as Adobe, Alphabet (Google), AWS, IBM, Instructure, Intel, LinkedIn, Microsoft, NVIDIA, OpenAI, and also the Office of Gov. Gavin Newsom. 

 鈥淲e are proud to announce this innovative, highly collaborative public-private initiative that will position the CSU as a global leader among higher education systems in the impactful, responsible and equitable adoption of artificial intelligence,鈥� said CSU Chancellor Mildred Garc铆a. 

鈥淭he comprehensive strategy will elevate our students鈥� educational experience across all fields of study, empower our faculty鈥檚 teaching and research, and help provide the highly educated workforce that will drive California鈥檚 future AI-driven economy,鈥� Garc铆a said. 

The initiative sets out to leverage the power of artificial intelligence to create a higher education system designed to surpass any existing model of AI adoption in scale and impact.

鈥淟eaders in higher education must act decisively to address and prepare for a future with AI, especially as AI literacy is already a key qualification for most employers in the workforce,鈥� said 黑料吃瓜 President Adela de la Torre, who for the higher education sector with 黑料吃瓜 Vice President for Information Technology James Frazee. 

鈥淲e cannot ignore it and expect our students to navigate the implications of AI themselves. Nor can we embrace AI uncritically as a solution to our problems. Faculty, too, must be 鈥� and are 鈥�  central to the discussion and our collective effort to build AI literacy, starting with access, informed policy, and comprehensive training,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 am grateful that our own faculty, staff and students have worked closely since last year to co-develop guidelines and training, which we will continue to refine further given the evolving landscape.鈥�

New advisory board established to drive plans

At the heart of the initiative is the AI Workforce Acceleration Board, a collaboration with nearly a dozen of the world鈥檚 leading tech companies and Newsom鈥檚 office that will identify and advocate for AI skills needed in California鈥檚 workforce and its economy. 

Frazee, also 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 Chief Information Officer, is a new member of the system-wide advisory board. 

The board will work to foster innovation and drive interdisciplinary practical applications of AI by providing access to internships and employment opportunities and organizing a series of AI challenges for CSU students to address key issues using AI technology. 

鈥淧ublic universities, tasked with serving our diverse communities and fostering workforce and economic development, have a responsibility to ensure that AI drives progress without perpetuating deficits and privacy challenges,鈥� Frazee said. 

鈥淗owever, within higher education, and based on our own research at 黑料吃瓜, we recognize that AI integration into coursework is uneven,鈥� he said. 鈥淲ithout clear guidelines and adoption paths, AI risks widening the digital divide. To address this, we have collaborated with the University Senate鈥檚 Instructional and Information Technology Committee as well as other 黑料吃瓜 faculty and students to create and for using generative AI in assessments and deliverables for our community.鈥�

Garc铆a said the advisory board will guide the 鈥嬧�媔nitiative. Systemwide community members will also collaborate to leverage AI technologies to address pressing issues such as climate change and housing affordability. 

鈥淭he CSU鈥檚 unprecedented adoption of AI technologies will make training, learning, and teaching tools鈥攊ncluding ChatGPT鈥攁vailable across all 23 CSU universities, ensuring that the system鈥檚 more than 460,000 students and 63,000 faculty and staff have equitable access to cutting-edge tools that will prepare them to meet the rapidly changing education and workforce needs of California,鈥� she said, adding that the CSU will also work with OpenAI to deploy , a version of ChatGPT offering advanced tools, security and controls.

鈥淎t the CSU, we have two imperatives: to equip our students with the skills to leverage these powerful tools, and to transform our own institutional practices through AI to better serve the largest public university system in the nation,鈥� said Ed Clark, CSU鈥檚 Chief Information Officer. 

黑料吃瓜-specific tools, training available 

The CSU will create a dedicated AI Commons Hub, a platform offering AI tools, training programs and certifications, and CSU-developed solutions to all students, faculty and staff. The CSU will partner with its faculty to enhance teaching, learning and research by empowering faculty with AI tools, resources and training. And CSU students will have additional opportunities to work in AI technology-enabled organizations through apprenticeship programs. 

While these and other tools are set to be released in the coming weeks, and resources are already available to 黑料吃瓜 students, faculty and staff. 

Last year, 黑料吃瓜 became the first university in the CSU system to launch the AAAI Micro-credential, providing comprehensive  to faculty and staff. The training is now freely available to students. The program prepares 黑料吃瓜 students, faculty and staff to apply generative AI technology efficiently, effectively and ethically. Details and information on how to sign up for the mini-course in Canvas are available on the . 

The program was recently adapted and published by the CSU Chancellor鈥檚 Office for use by the more than 500,000 faculty, staff and students across the system. Additionally, 黑料吃瓜 Global Campus recently launched a program in partnership with the IT Division.

黑料吃瓜 also offers enterprise GenAI tools like Adobe Firefly, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, Notebook LM and the Zoom AI Companion, as outlined on the .

The university has also adopted for all campus community members, which are designed to help ensure information security, data and personal privacy, copyright laws, accuracy and academic integrity. Further, the additional guidelines related to assessments and deliverables 鈥嬧�媤ere developed by the University Senate鈥檚 IT committee and can be found in the .

鈥淣ow is the time for action,鈥� Frazee said. 鈥淗igher education leaders must prioritize affordability, equity and responsible AI use to ensure all students can thrive in an increasingly AI-driven world 鈥� which  has been a strategic focus for us here at 黑料吃瓜. By embracing AI鈥檚 potential while both acknowledging and working to mitigate its risks, universities can take the initiative and innovate for the benefit of our students and also faculty and staff rather than passively reacting to AI鈥檚 impact around us.鈥�