How are faculty and students on your campus accessing AI resources? Is your campus providing enterprise access to ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft CoPilot, Perplexity, or other platforms? Are students and faculty using the free versions of these tools? How are they using them? Are they uploading personal or class information to be analyzed or edited? How and why are students using AI? Surveys suggest that:

AI Use · 90% of U.S. college students use AI academically. [globenewswire.com] · 86% of students globally use AI in their studies. [sites.campbell.edu] · 29% of students use AI tools daily; 53% use them regularly. [globenewswire.com] · Students typically use 2–3 AI tools for coursework. [campustechnology.com]

Are free or paid versions being used?

Students

· Over 80% of students utilize free versions of AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, and Google Gemini, for academic tasks like writing, summarizing, and research. [sites.campbell.edu]

· Only 12–18% of students report using paid subscriptions, such as ChatGPT Plus or Grammarly Premium, often for more advanced features like faster response times or deeper writing analysis. [edsource.org]

· Cost is a major barrier: Many students cite affordability as the reason for sticking with free versions, even if they feel limited by them. [insidehighered.com]

Faculty

· Faculty adoption of AI tools is high—over 80% use AI for tasks like summarizing, brainstorming, and grading support. [umass.edu]

· Many faculty rely on institutionally provided access to paid tools like Microsoft Copilot or Gemini for Education, especially in universities that have formal AI integration strategies. [dl.acm.org]

· However, some faculty still use free versions for experimentation or personal use, especially in institutions without centralized AI policies. [mdpi.com]

Does your campus have an AI resource strategy that addresses academic, administrative, infrastructure, and resource management? Does your campus have an AI policy that includes governance, data security, ethics, and procurement considerations? If unlicensed AI products are used by faculty or students, what are the risks to personal and institutional data?

Things in the AI space are moving fast. We all know that, but to take advantage of the technology and the opportunities it presents, all colleges/universities need to fully address the questions above and understand how AI is being used on their campus. Not all colleges need huge infrastructure investments. Collaboration opportunities are available. They do require a point person or steering committee to start addressing the questions and developing an institutional strategy. In state systems, inter-institutional collaboration and shared services can result in significant savings. Conversations need to start.