Cornell University to offer students and staff access to multiple AI tools

Cornell University plans to expand access to multiple artificial intelligence tools across its campuses, allowing eligible students, faculty and staff to use university-supported platforms without paying for individual subscriptions.

The initiative, announced by the university on Oct 26, will initially cover faculty members, staff and doctoral students at its Ithaca campus and Cornell Tech in November. Master’s students and undergraduates are expected to receive access in early 2027.

According to the Cornell Chronicle, the tools will include OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Codex, Anthropic’s Claude Cowork and Claude Code, Microsoft Copilot Chat and, tentatively, Google Gemini Chat. Access to a limited number of Google’s agentic AI research tools is planned for spring 2027.

Enterprise AI tools and data protection

Cornell said the new contracts will provide enterprise-level privacy and security protections. Data entered into the tools will not be used to train new AI models, addressing concerns among researchers and staff about entering confidential or sensitive information into consumer AI services.

The university said the initiative is also intended to reduce the costs and security vulnerabilities associated with individuals purchasing and managing their own subscriptions.

Users will receive basic accounts, while some will be able to purchase additional capacity at discounted rates. The university has not disclosed a total pilot budget or a fixed limit on licences in its announcement.

Training and responsible AI use

Cornell plans to pair access with training and guidance on responsible AI use. Faculty and staff will be required to complete an orientation, with additional learning opportunities available through the university and external providers.

The university is also supporting programmes focused on AI literacy, research integrity and collaboration among researchers. Its Communities of Practice for AI-enabled Research initiative will bring researchers together to share practices and develop discipline-specific approaches to using — or choosing not to use — AI tools.

Cornell officials said the initiative should help the university evaluate how different systems perform across research, teaching and administrative tasks, while preserving human judgement and oversight.

The university also plans to track AI-related energy use through a working group involving faculty, staff and students.

Two-year pilot to assess use

The university intends to evaluate the tools over a two-year pilot period before deciding how to proceed. Offering products from multiple vendors gives users flexibility to select tools suited to their work and allows Cornell to review its options as the AI market evolves.

The rollout is not a blanket approval for unrestricted AI use in every academic or research setting. Cornell says its approach will include training, research-integrity policies and guidance on appropriate use.

The university has not reported evidence that the initiative has improved learning outcomes. Its immediate aim is to provide access and support experimentation while developing safeguards and practices for using AI across campus.