California State University launched an AI initiative to provide free access to AI tools and training through its CSU AI Commons program in February 2025 to all students, faculty and staff. The initiative is part of a broader effort to integrate artificial intelligence into higher education, designed to prepare students for an increasingly AI-driven workforce while also promoting ethical and responsible use of the technology.
According to CSU’s recent AI survey, “over 4,300 faculty have completed voluntary professional development in ethical and effective AI use. Training emphasizes equity, critical thinking and academic integrity.” With CSU’s 18-month contract with OpenAI to license ChatGPT for campuses approaching its expiration in July 2026, the $17 million partnership has divided students and educators across California, with some calling for CSU to end its partnership with OpenAI due to skepticism surrounding AI’s effectiveness compared to its risks in education, with others arguing that AI literacy is essential in modern education and the workforce. For many students, the debate centers less on whether AI should exist in education and more on its responsible usage.
For English teacher Mark Carpenter, AI serves as a tool that students can easily manipulate. Carpenter, who began using AI for curriculum-based project testing after the FUHSD provided a free ChatGPT subscription for all teachers, quickly discovered the unreliability of AI as an undeveloped program. ChatGPT frequently hallucinates answers to fact-based questions, contributing false responses that can mislead users, paralleling Carpenter’s wariness about fully relying on AI. As a result, Carpenter notes they never trust AI to provide final drafts or versions of any project, instead asking the program for opinions on the effectiveness of certain assignments. Regarding student usage of AI, Carpenter believes that relying on such programs hinders true learning and development. Moreover, Carpenter says the challenge is ensuring students continue to develop critical thinking skills as AI tools become more advanced and accessible.
“The question has to be, ‘Is this about the work, the process or the product?’” Carpenter said. “If students are supposed to be learning a process, and they hand that process over to AI and it generates a product, that’s not acceptable. I want them to be able to look at an argument and assess if it makes sense, and assess what its strengths and weaknesses are. I want them to be able to construct a strong argument. And if they’re not actually practicing doing it, they’re not going to be able to recognize it, and they’re ultimately going to be ignorant and be easy to take advantage of.”
The CSU AI survey revealed widespread acceptance of AI’s growing role, but also reported concerns about its consequences, with “about 82% of staff respondents, 78% of faculty and 69% of students believing AI will become an essential part of most professions … 82% of students, 78% of faculty and 74% of staff express concern about AI’s impact on job security.” Similarly, senior Jenna Bergendahl, who is committed to Cal Poly for agricultural business, believes AI remains a controversial tool that should be strongly regulated.
“A lot of people don’t think there’s a hard line because they just make up excuses, saying they’re using it to help them,” Bergendahl said. “I think it’s obvious when you’re using it to make study guides versus giving answers to get full credit on homework. There’s a very big difference between using it to scrape by and cheat your way through high school versus using it to help you.”
Still, Bergendahl views AI as a program that students should be educated on. While Bergendahl prefers completing assignments independently, she believes understanding AI tools will become increasingly important as technology evolves in both higher education and future careers. For Bergendahl, the CSU initiative represents an opportunity for students to become more informed about the technology rather than avoiding it entirely.
“I think it’s really good to be aware of AI because it’s definitely a big part of life in general,” Bergendahl said. “I think that’s one of the main things that college teaches you. You’re starting a new chapter and going into adulthood, so being aware of new things, whether it’s learning things about AI or yourself, is something I’m excited about.”
Senior Noora Kiiski, who is committed to San Jose State University for mechanical engineering, shares a similar opinion regarding the implementation of AI into everyday life. As a student entering a STEM field, Kiiski recognizes the growing role AI will likely play in engineering and other technical careers, especially after seeing her father utilize AI in his computer science-related work. Kiiski also believes misconceptions surrounding lazy dependence on AI contribute to the negative reactions many students and educators have towards its use in academics. Furthermore, Kiiski emphasizes that familiarity with technology may soon become an expected skill in professional environments.
“I think AI overall just has this bad stigma to it,” Kiiski said. “People immediately have the thought like, ‘Oh, you’re using AI. You didn’t do it yourself, so that means you don’t actually know how to use it.’ But the issue is, in the real world, people do use it. And if you don’t use it, you’re behind in a way.”
However, as universities such as CSU continue adapting to rapidly advancing technology, educators like Carpenter, as well as students like Kiiski and Bergendahl, agree that the implementation of AI into education systems should focus not only on teaching students how to use AI, but also on ensuring that they continue to develop critical thinking and independent problem-solving skills alongside it.
“The position that I have taken with my students recently is that AI is a powerful tool that is only going to get better, and it isn’t going anywhere,” Carpenter said. “The main question that I then raise for them is, ‘Do they want to be able to say the same thing about their brains?’”
