UNSW to offer ChatGPT Edu to 10,000 staff

UNSW Sydney has bought 10,000 licences of ChatGPT Edu for all fixed-term and permanent staff, in what’s being touted as the “biggest education deal” with OpenAI in Australia.

Image credit: UNSW Sydney

The agreement came on the back of a “successful” 10-month trial involving 0 staff.

It “will allow researchers, educators and professional staff to harness advanced AI tools on a secure platform,” the university said in a statement.

“Our priority is to introduce this technology in a way that is safe, reliable and supports our staff,” chief information officer Chrissy Burns said.

“This is a careful, staged rollout, supported by training and clear guidelines, so that staff can use AI responsibly and in ways that reflect UNSW’s values.”

The university said that prompts entered into the Edu platform remain private and data “can’t be used for model training.”

Staff will be given the option to use the platform. They will also “be offered optional training before they are given a licence”, the university said.

It will take several months to provision access to all staff that want it.

UNSW said it would also buy carbon credits “to mitigate the emissions associated with the ChatGPT Edu agreement.”