The University of Colorado is postponing student access to ChatGPT until the fall semester amid faculty concerns about its OpenAI contract.
Why it matters: The move highlights growing academic faculty resistance to AI in classrooms, spanning resources, governance and student impact.
The latest: CU’s four campuses were set to roll out ChatGPT Edu to faculty, staff and students by month’s end.
- But spokesperson Christopher Sparks told Axios Boulder the university will delay student access until at least Aug. 14, around the start of the fall semester for the system’s schools.
- Faculty and staff will have access starting March 31 as originally scheduled.
Between the lines: CU leaders said in a statement that the move was made at the request of the system’s Faculty Council.
- Many faculty said the OpenAI agreement was made without enough teacher input and did not provide sufficient support, funding and time to alter classroom plans to accommodate widespread AI use.
What they’re saying: “We have heard concerns from faculty about disruption to the learning environment and take Faculty Council concerns seriously,” the CU statement read. “We fully endorse the right of faculty to establish and maintain their individual classroom expectations.”…