On Jan. 12, Vanderbilt announced the expansion of its generative AI tools and training, making ChatGPT Edu, Amplify 2.0 and Grow with Google available to all eligible faculty, students and staff with a @vanderbilt.edu email address. The Office of Learning Innovation will also be providing workshops, quick guides and an AI Faculty Toolkit to support users.
ChatGPT Edu
ChatGPT EDU is a generative AI platform designed for universities and colleges to provide users with a secure, generalist platform for diverse tasks. ChatGPT Edu offers expanded access to GPT-5, advanced capabilities for analysis and research and customizable AI for any project or course. The expansion aims to offer substantially higher message limits, improved language capabilities and advanced tools such as file integration.
Amplify 2.0
On Jan. 6, Amplify GenAI announced the launch of Amplify 2.0. The generative AI platform will provide users access to a personal email assistant, scheduling agent and intelligent notetaker. The AI assistant automatically checks calendar availability, drafts responses and coordinates scheduling for the user. By forwarding photographs, voice recordings or text, the AI assistant will automatically generate notes, summaries and transcripts.
“With Amplify 2.0, AI stops being something you occasionally use and becomes something that actively works for you,” Jules White, senior advisor to the chancellor on generative AI in enterprise and education, said in a press release.
Amplify is currently utilized at more than fifty institutions, multiple K-12 districts and other organizations.
Grow with Google
Grow with Google is a partnership between Coursera and the search giant that provides access to Google-designed certificates and specializations, including analytics, project management, UX design, cybersecurity, digital marketing, and IT support. Grow with Google is intended to increase AI literacy on campus and expand Coursera AI programming. This tool is available to the entire campus; however, certain AI tools are reserved for select groups within the Vanderbilt community.
Senior Abbey Woods sees potential in AI resources if users are properly trained.
“I’ve worked with AI before — specifically ChatGPT — and the number of hallucinated sources it has made for me is wild. I worry that if we’re not correctly taught about AI, this will become more common than it already is,” Woods said.
Woods also said she believes AI can be easily spotted, and being on Honor Council has made her more aware of the tell-tale signs.
“I’m also on the Honor Council, and while I’m not allowed to talk about specific cases, I can say that the majority of the cases I see are related to AI usage,” Woods said. “It’s super noticeable because AI has a really specific way of writing and, of course, the made-up sources.”
Junior Miguel Kamgaing Kamgaing said he sees both the negatives and positives of increased reliance on AI.
“I think, overall, AI tools are a detriment to learning. People no longer know how to research, write and generate thought,” Kamgaing said. “On the other side of things, it also helps with bringing access to information at a faster speed than ever before.”
Kamgaing believes Vanderbilt is getting ahead of this problem by providing these new resources.
“Society worldwide hasn’t been able to react in time with the growing use of AI, and Vanderbilt incorporating these apparatuses for student-use gives them a certain level of control that puts them a little bit ahead of the ‘problem,’” Kamgaing said.
