A few months ago, USC and the Division of Information Technology announced a pioneering partnership with OpenAI to give every student, faculty and staff member on the Columbia campus access to ChatGPT Edu.
This partnership reflects USC and the administration’s commitment to embracing emerging technologies — streamlining everyday tasks and equipping students with the tools they need to thrive in the modern workforce.
We understand some of the concerns students have about the university offering this kind of service to students and whether faculty or administrators have the ability to "spy" on students' AI usage.
Let me set the record straight: USC cannot and will not look at what students — or faculty or staff — are putting into ChatGPT. This means no faculty member, staff member or member of the administration has the right to see individual GPTs on another person's USC-affiliated accounts.
The only circumstances under which ChatGPT activity could be accessed are through a legal process, such as a subpoena. This is consistent with how other university platforms — like Outlook, Teams or Copilot — are handled.
We strongly oppose any suggestion that this initiative is designed to monitor or access students' data. This goes against our core values at USC. Additionally, we’ve taken steps to ensure that any content submitted to ChatGPT through USC-affiliated accounts is not used to train OpenAI’s models, protecting your own intellectual property.
Our partnership with OpenAI and ChatGPT serves as a starting point — a foundation for USC to build upon as we work to provide the university community with the best possible experience in artificial intelligence.
As new AI features and functionality are emerging almost daily thanks, in part, to feedback from USC students and faculty, it is exciting for USC to be at the forefront of these innovations.
There are already resources available at USC to teach users how to use artificial intelligence intentionally and responsibly. Information on that can be found on our Garnet AI Foundry website, and soon, we’ll have student ambassadors and AI Educators who can help answer your questions.
The Division of IT hosts virtual office hours every other Friday from noon to 1 p.m. to give students any tips and tricks on how to use AI and answer any questions you may have.
We understand there is trepidation with artificial intelligence. It’s a new and powerful tool. We’re committed to improving our services and evolving. But we need your help.
First, ask questions. Our goal is to be as transparent as possible, and if there are things you’re curious about when it comes to OpenAI, email us at VPCIO@sc.edu. Second, provide feedback.
We love hearing use cases from our students, and your experiences will directly impact how we tailor our trainings and resources to best serve our USC community.
This partnership marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for USC in the world of artificial intelligence. Like any journey, it starts with a first step — and we’ve chosen to begin with a strong focus on security, accessibility and a commitment to continuous growth. It’s a foundation worth building on.