As of 2022, USC ranked in the top five universities in the country for federal funding in computer science research and is the No. 2 feeder school to Silicon Valley. In January, the University partnered with OpenAI to provide all students, faculty and staff with ChatGPT Edu. The University’s subscription costs $3.1 million each year.

Keira Izumi, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, said she wasn’t sure the ChatGPT plan was the best use of University funds.

“It’s interesting that they’ve invested so much money into [ChatGPT Edu],” Izumi said. “I don’t use it, and I don’t really know any of my friends who use it either. I just don’t really know if that’s the best use of the money.”

Rish Saha, a sophomore majoring in applied and computational mathematics, also said he was hesitant about the subscription. He said he didn’t know how many people used it, but had not encountered many who did.

“I don’t know how much students actually use that. I know I don’t at least,” Saha said.

Saroj Gupta, who graduated in May with a master’s in electrical and electronics engineering, said faculty are learning to implement artificial intelligence in their teaching.

Within Saha’s major, AI mostly helps students get additional practice by generating math problems based on homework sets. However, professors are also looking at other ways to use it in the future.

“I’ve had professors say that in the future, some exams may have to deal with looking at AI prompts for math and realizing where they go wrong or right,” Saha said.

In Izumi’s classes, professors have adapted their curricula to ensure students learn alongside AI rather than relying on it.

“I took one Python class where the professor taught us how to make our code better and debug [it] using AI,” Izumi said. “It was really interesting and definitely something that I think I’m seeing and hearing more of.”

The University recently unveiled the Stevens School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence, a unit within the Viterbi School of Engineering. The ceremony took place at Epstein Plaza on Oct. 20 in recognition of Mark and Mary Stevens’ $200 million gift.

Formerly the School of Advanced Computing, the school was founded in 2024, emphasizing an interdisciplinary approach to advanced computing research and education.

At the celebration, Mark Stevens, a USC trustee and managing partner at S-Cubed Capital and former partner at Sequoia Capital, spoke of his hope for the University to become a leader in AI research and application.

“USC needs to move at the speed of light,” Mark Stevens said at the event. “Hopefully our gift will propel us to be a leader, not just in AI research, but in how AI is applied to many fields.”

Different schools at USC are conducting research and collaborative projects about AI usage. These initiatives include a collaboration between the MIT Media Lab, the Marshall School of Business’s Neely Center, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and the Psychology of Technology Institute to measure and publicly evaluate how AI models affect human well-being.

Viterbi researchers studied how well AI could pick up on nonverbal cues such as pitch, pace and tone. The Price School of Public Policy developed a comprehensive AI framework to promote thoughtful engagement with it.

However, some students are more hesitant about implementing AI. Rayan Talwar, a second-year master’s student studying electrical and computer engineering, said AI needs moderation to prevent the spread of fake news. Still, he believes the use of it in the classroom can be a positive.

“Like it or not, AI is going to be a part of our future, so we do have to learn how to use it,” Talwar said.

Saha is concerned about AI’s impact on creative fields like art and music. He emphasized the importance of USC acknowledging those risks while investing in AI.

“You can pump out a lot of AI-generated tracks or stories,” Saha said. “But it lacks a lot of the emotion that comes out of human writing and human art.”

Although Talwar supports the initial investment in AI, he believes it should be regulated, particularly given its newness.

“People will give you thoughts about where [AI is] headed, but no one really knows,” Talwar said. “We just have to wait and make the best decisions we can at this moment in time.”