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2026-09-09T08:00:00+10:00
UNSW Sydney has announced a strategic partnership with OpenAI.
Photo: Adobe Stock
Expanding access to AI tools and education will help students build confidence and skills needed in the workforce.
UNSW Sydney has announced a strategic partnership with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT Edu to more than 80,000 students and staff as part of the University’s broader approach to responsible AI.
The collaboration, one of the largest AI education deployments in the Asia-Pacific region, aims to help ensure graduates are equipped to use AI critically, ethically and effectively.
The OpenAI partnership forms part of UNSW’s strategy to explore and evaluate a range of AI technologies. The University is designing a multi-model AI environment that will enable students and staff to experiment with different AI tools and approaches as the technology evolves.
This week, access to ChatGPT Edu is being extended to Higher Degree Research candidates and casual academic staff, building on existing access for professional and academic staff.
UNSW is also working towards expanding access to AI tools across the entire student community ahead of the 2027 academic year.
“Our ambition is to produce AI-capable graduates,” UNSW Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Education and Student Experience, Professor Sarah Maddison, said. “To do that, we need to ensure all students have equitable access to a range of AI tools to help develop their capability and improve their exposure and experience with AI tools. This includes tools that are being used in the industries to which they will likely go into.”
For Nalin Iyer, a second-year student in the Master of IT program, it is important for the University to embrace the capabilities of AI and support students in using the technology responsibly and confidently.
“AI is here to stay. The technology is only getting better, so it’s about learning how to use it effectively rather than rejecting it altogether,” said Iyer, Vice-President of Engineering with the UNSW AI Society. “In the past, you could learn a programming language and feel confident it would help you get a job. Now, things are moving much faster. It’s important to understand what industry is looking for and how AI fits into that, because it’s becoming part of the way we work.”
OpenAI Managing Director for Asia Pacific Kiran Mani said UNSW was setting a benchmark for the AI-native graduate.
“Australian students want to do more than learn about AI. They want to use it to build companies, advance research and solve real-world problems,” he said. “UNSW is setting a new benchmark for the AI-native graduate: someone who enters the workforce experienced in using AI responsibly to research, analyse, create and build. This collaboration is designed to connect education directly with opportunity, strengthening Australia’s AI talent pipeline and helping the next generation turn ambitious ideas into new businesses, discoveries and solutions.”
UNSW’s approach to AI is underpinned by a strong commitment to academic integrity and transparency.
Recognising that different learning outcomes require different approaches, the University has adopted a Can, Can’t, Must framework for AI in assessment. The framework helps educators clearly communicate expectations about when students may use AI, when its use is prohibited, and when students are expected to use AI as part of the learning process.
Under the framework:
“We have a responsibility to ensure our learning experiences reflect the reality of the world our students are entering,” said Professor Paul Andon, Dean of the UNSW Business School and AI Executive Lead.
“AI is increasingly being used in workplaces across almost every profession, so students need opportunities to use these tools appropriately as part of their learning.
“That means thinking differently about learning and assessment. Approaches that worked in the past, like take-home assignments, may not always be the best fit in an AI-enabled world. At the same time, there will always be areas where students need to demonstrate foundational knowledge and skills independently. The key is ensuring curricula and assessments are fit for purpose and aligned to the learning outcomes we want students to achieve.”
Senior Lecturer and Nexus Fellow, May Lim, said AI was helping academics update courses and adjust assessments to ensure students could apply their knowledge in relevant and authentic ways.
“We’re using AI to create prototypes and examples of new assessment approaches, helping academics visualise what redesigned courses and assessments could look like. That allows us to transform courses more quickly and create learning experiences that are more engaging and meaningful for students.”
Beyond assessment, the collaboration will include workforce-aligned curriculum, discipline-specific playbooks and staff training. Researchers will be supported to explore applications including AI-assisted literature review and data summarisation, domain modelling, coding and secure research workflows.
Students will apply those skills through hackathons, build challenges and industry projects in areas such as health, climate, and fintech.
UNSW and OpenAI also intend to develop pathways connecting students with internships, graduate roles, startup ecosystems and NSW innovation networks, and to translate research into impact through pilots with government and industry.
For media enquiries and interview requests please contact Larissa Chinwah:
Tel: 0452 229 349
Email: l.chinwah@unsw.edu.au
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