Key Takeaways:
- Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming higher education and the job market, with Arizona State University (ASU) at the forefront of this change
- ASU has launched various initiatives to prepare students for an AI economy, including a partnership with OpenAI and the introduction of AI-powered tools and research
- The university aims to create "master learners" and make education more accessible to anyone qualified, with AI playing a key role in this mission
- Concerns about the sustainability and energy usage of AI are being addressed through research and the development of more efficient models
- ASU is offering courses and programs to help people in vulnerable sectors gain new AI skills and stay competitive in the job market
Introduction to AI and Education
Artificial intelligence is the "great equalizer," in the words of ASU President Michael Crow. It’s compelled industries, including higher education, to adapt quickly to keep pace with its rapid advancement. Over the last several years, ASU has launched a range of initiatives to prepare students for an AI economy, using new tools, research, and credentials designed to keep those already in the workforce up to date with the job market. As President Crow noted, "Artificial intelligence is reshaping higher education — from the way teachers assess work to how universities prepare graduates for jobs that don’t yet exist." He calls AI a "hyperspeed calculator" that forces schools to raise the bar.
Bringing AI to Students
ASU has taken significant steps to bring AI closer to its students. This fall, university officials announced that every ASU student, faculty, and staff member would have access to OpenAI’s ChatGPT Edu with GPT-5. ASU Chief Information Officer Lev Gonick describes the effort as "democratizing innovation." Free licenses became available at the start of October, and the university’s partnership ensures the data shared with ChatGPT is private and is not used for training the AI system. As Gonick notes, this initiative is a key part of the university’s mission to make education more accessible and innovative.
AI-Powered Tools and Research
Some of the university’s past endeavors include a "Language Buddy" which allows students to practice speaking a second or third language with an AI assistant. Another allows health sciences students to interact with an AI model that mimics real patient interactions. Anne Jones, an ASU professor and vice provost for undergraduate education, says the university’s goal is to create "master learners," and AI pushes that mission forward. "It makes it possible for us to make education more accessible to anyone qualified," Jones says of ASU’s AI expansion. "We’re going to use it." The university is constantly looking for ways to bring other faculty and students into the push forward, with dozens of seminars, guides, and an AI Playground that walks users through everything from chatbots to AI research tools.
Sustainability and Energy Usage
Serious questions remain on how the mass implementation of AI will impact our everyday lives. Many scholars, including several at ASU, have questioned how the use of AI is sustainable given its often overwhelming energy needs. Kyle Bowen, deputy chief information officer for ASU’s Enterprise Technology, said ASU is having those discussions in its labs as well. One way the university is looking at ways to make AI more sustainable is by providing tools people can use to compare the exact energy and costs associated with their AI use. "You can pick the most efficient choice and have kind of transparency around, ‘This is what the differences between the models are looking at to what that trade-off between cost and quality is,’" Bowen says. The university is also researching ways AI can function more efficiently with hopes of tamping down energy use over time.
AI Upskilling and the Job Market
As more companies move to cut costs and embrace AI, a competitive job market has stoked long-standing fears that AI could begin taking jobs once done by humans. Around 40% of employers are expected to downsize their workforce in cases where work can be automated, according to a 2025 report from the World Economic Forum. Some of the most vulnerable jobs center around data entry, scheduling, and customer service, according to Forbes. In response, ASU has launched a portfolio of programs to help people in vulnerable sectors gain new AI skills desired in a modern workforce. The courses touch on AI use in leadership, finance, healthcare, education, sustainability, and several more. They start at $49. As President Crow notes, "It’s up to the education institutions like ours to stop being innovation laggards and find ways to embrace these technological opportunities."
https://news.asu.edu/20260105-science-and-technology-how-ai-changing-college