USC announced on November 11 that all students, faculty and staff will soon receive free access to ChatGPT, including GPT-5, through a new partnership with OpenAI.
The announcement was made at the USC AI Summit, where interim USC President Beong Soo-Kim and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt spoke about the future of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education. The partnership will allow USC to integrate advanced AI tools across campus with user data protection, said Geoffrey Garrett, dean of USC Marshall School of Business, during the conference.
The news prompted reactions from students questioning how the integration of AI in higher education will play out in a classroom setting.
“I think it is a good idea and a bad idea,” said Sofia Cohen, a junior majoring in legal studies and entrepreneurship. “If you give students free access, they are going to be more inclined to use it, but many teachers have strict policies against AI, so how would USC balance that?” Cohen said.
Some students were curious about how the partnership will promote equity and accessibility. Ebony Crandle, a senior majoring in business, said the change would expand academic resources.
“Everyone is using AI and if you are not, you are putting yourself at a disadvantage,” Crandle said. “Giving everyone access brings people to a more level playing field.”
Jenna Zuckerman, a junior majoring in business, agreed that equal access is a benefit.
“A lot of students already use [AI], but now people who did not have the latest version will get better information,” Zuckerman said.
Not all students, however, are looking at the partnership positively.
“My thought on it is, why?” said Damian Sanchez, a junior studying international relations. “Academia has succeeded and produced really successful, great graduates in the past without the use of AI in the classroom. It’s something that I don’t think is necessary.”
When college students use generative AI for coursework, the majority are not looking for the chatbot to complete their assignments for them, according to a survey conducted by Inside Higher Ed. Rather, college students primarily use generative AI to brainstorm ideas, outline and edit papers and create study guides for exams.
“ChatGPT can help generate ideas and come up with things that usually take longer,” Aymara Ubom, a sophomore majoring in philosophy, politics and law said. “It should be used in moderation, but it is good that USC is trying to adapt to how AI is taking over the world.”
Theo Thompson, a freshman majoring in narrative studies, echoed this statement.
“It is good that USC recognizes the permanence of AI. It is more about how we use it and what we use it for,” Thompson said. “Free ChatGPT may cause students to be more reliant on it — which prevents critical thinking — but it will also bring more innovation when used correctly.”
It has yet to be announced when the USC community will have access to the resource. Updates and resources about USC’s AI initiatives can be found on the new AI at USC website.