The Deep View: OpenAI’s unlikely new ally: Universities

Posted on December 19, 2025 by michelleclarke2015
OpenAI’s unlikely new ally: Universities
As students use ChatGPT to write their college papers to the chagrin of their professors, OpenAI wants to make its relationship with universities more official.
The company is forging relationships with colleges around the country, having sold more than 700,000 ChatGPT licenses to 35 public universities, according to Bloomberg. Students and faculty across 20 campuses used the chatbot more than 14 million times in September, the outlet reported, averaging around 176 uses per month across tasks. 
These deals aren’t the only sign that OpenAI has its eyes on the classroom. 
In November, the company launched a free version of ChatGPT built for K-12 teachers through June 2027, including admin controls for school and district leaders. And teachers are making use of the tech, with around 60% of teachers using some sort of AI tool for their work, according to Gallup. On the student side, ChatGPT introduced “study mode” in July, a tool that guides students through challenging homework problems collaboratively rather than just giving them the answers directly. 
But whether these schools and universities sanction it or not, students will lean on AI. A Copyleaks report found that 90% of the roughly 1,100 college students surveyed are using AI academically. And even if the tech is prohibited, AI detection tech is shoddy at best, with false positives and false negatives often gumming up the works.
In partnering with OpenAI and other AI firms, these educators are taking control of something that was otherwise happening right under their noses. Strict, outright bans on the technology will just force students to come up with new and creative ways to cheat. Instead, that control could allow educators to guide students in responsible AI use, leveraging it as a tool rather than a system that does most of the thinking for them. This could also prevent AI overuse, skirting concerns that AI is eroding critical thinking in young and impressionable minds.
Unknown's avatar

About michelleclarke2015

Life event that changes all: Horse riding accident in Zimbabwe in 1993, a fractured skull et al including bipolar anxiety, chronic fatigue …. co-morbidities (Nietzche 'He who has the reason why can deal with any how' details my health history from 1993 to date). 17th 2017 August operation for breast cancer (no indications just an appointment came from BreastCheck through the Post). Trinity College Dublin Business Economics and Social Studies (but no degree) 1997-2003; UCD 1997/1998 night classes) essays, projects, writings. Trinity Horizon Programme 1997/98 (Centre for Women Studies Trinity College Dublin/St. Patrick's Foundation (Professor McKeon) EU Horizon funded: research study of 15 women (I was one of this group and it became the cornerstone of my journey to now 2017) over 9 mth period diagnosed with depression and their reintegration into society, with special emphasis on work, arts, further education; Notes from time at Trinity Horizon Project 1997/98; Articles written for Irishhealth.com 2003/2004; St Patricks Foundation monthly lecture notes for a specific period in time; Selection of Poetry including poems written by people I know; Quotations 1998-2017; other writings mainly with theme of social justice under the heading Citizen Journalism Ireland. Letters written to friends about life in Zimbabwe; Family history including Michael Comyn KC, my grandfather, my grandmother's family, the O'Donnellan ffrench Blake-Forsters; Moral wrong: An acrimonious divorce but the real injustice was the Catholic Church granting an annulment – you can read it and make your own judgment, I have mine. Topics I have written about include annual Brain Awareness week, Mashonaland Irish Associataion in Zimbabwe, Suicide (a life sentence to those left behind); Nostalgia: Tara Hill, Co. Meath.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a comment