I was involved as an investor and board member in a company that rolled out adaptive learning in Arizona State University. It was a four-year $2 million research project funded by the Gates Foundation. In short, it worked, but I wasn’t wholly impressed with ASU. Their investment arm bought the software and immediately sold it to Cambridge University at a profit, scalping all of the angel investors. Don’t imagine that US Universities don’t play dirty in the capitalist game.
Nevertheless, they do have a refreshing approach to innovation. I’d just rather they got more focused with it all, as they churn through software and research projects like there’s no tomorrow. The rhetoric is, of course, also a bit pious and righteous… “ASU standing at the forefront of AI, propelling the university to develop unique and transformative applications that push the boundaries of what is possible … for today, tomorrow and future generations.” Easy, tiger!
What you can’t argue with is the fact that ASU remains the state's largest school, and one of the largest in the U.S., with an overall enrolment of 145,655. In a country that has seen 13 straight years of falling enrolment, it has bucked the trend with stellar growth, boosted by online delivery. For a University with a substantial online numbers, AI is clearly part of their strategic, successful and sustainable growth plan.
5 tenets of AI
Rather than making AI a mission in itself, they have chosen a dissemination and democratisation approach guided by 5 ‘tenets’. I’ll paraphrase…..
- AI an enduring part of the innovation landscape
- Brings need to innovate in a principled way
- Supports human capabilities, rather than replace them
- Progressing very fast, so need to keep pace
- Accessibility really matters
They’re fine but almost statements of the obvious. What really matters is what they’ve done within the institution.
Technical Foundation
CreateAI
CreateAI is their platform, which attempts to transform the landscape of AI innovation at ASU, a platform that anyone within ASU can use to build and interact with AI-powered solutions as effortlessly as possible. It takes the complexity out of AI development through user-friendly tools.
The advantage of this approach is its inclusive approach to innovation. It lowers the barrier to entry so that ideas can come from anywhere within the community. It also bridges research and reality, connecting cutting-edge AI research with practical applications. This makes advanced AI capabilities accessible and easy to implement, where the platform helps turn theoretical innovations into tangible solutions that can be used in real admin, research, teaching and learning contexts. And, of course, it’s all in a secure technical environment, safeguarding data and intellectual property, while encouraging bold experimentation.
MyAI Builder
MyAI Builder is their extension of their CreateAI platform and revolutionises how AI is accessed and used by making it accessible to everyone. This tool allows users to easily create custom AI-driven chatbots within the secure ASU ecosystem, fostering innovation. In essence, MyAI Builder provides a simple, streamlined process to craft personalised AI experiences, such as chatbots powered by generative AI, in just three easy steps.
The benefits of MyAI Builder are clear. It democratises AI by breaking down barriers, allowing individuals without advanced technical expertise to create something quickly. I like this. This accessibility is in line with their tenets and empowers a much broader range of users to innovate and create solutions tailored to their specific needs. By providing a tool within a secure environment, MyAI Builder supports the scalable deployment of AI applications. Users can therefore develop and deploy custom AI experiences quickly and efficiently, driving innovation across the organisation. Creating a custom AI in just three steps not only accelerates development but also makes it easier for users to experiment and iterate on their AI projects. Above all it puts the tech in the hands of students, staff and faculty to do their own thing. It rewards personal agency.
Reality
So how is it going? Well, with 530 proposals submitted and 250 projects activated across academic, research and work environments, it seems to have had real purchase across the institution. There are some pretty cool projects that have already come from their innovation challenge; an AI-generated patient on which to practice behavioural health techniques, an on-demand study buddy to help with language learning and an AI simulation that allows you to debate with some of the world’s most influential philosophers. There’s also that US obsession with tools that teach students writing skills. In other words, it is going well, with massive engagement and real applications. How many are sustainable remains to be seen. The problem with this approach is the constant 'hackathon', where lots of projects are launched, none fully formed, so that the technology more often disappoints than impresses. Having built product in this area, it is not easy to push through prototypes to effective product.
Conclusion
While different from Yale, with far more focus on its core strength around inclusion and accessibility, it is still a huge commitment, with a good technical infrastructure platform and an open invitation to innovate across the whole institution. Very much a bottom up and not top down approach. It is not an ivy league like Yale and has its eye on the many not the few. That’s admirable. But President Michael Crow has his eyes on the main prize - doing what we started with our personalised software project through the Gates Foundation. “We have long dreamt about individualized, personalized learning without constraints.” That’s would be not only admirable but truly transformative in terms of access, cost and attainment for the many.
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