UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State is expanding AI literacy and skill-building opportunities for students across the University. Beginning this fall semester, all Penn State students will now have access to AI Essentials, a self-paced online AI literacy course, and AI Studio, a suite of AI services featuring Claude, Gemini and ChatGPT models.
These resources, which are also available for University employees, provide opportunities for developing AI literacy — including technical knowledge, ethics, critical thinking and practical applications — and for learning and experimentation.
“Following a successful roll-out to students enrolled in summer courses, we are pleased to share AI Essentials and AI Studio with all Penn State students this fall,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos. “As students navigate their own journeys with AI, whether in the classroom or for personal or professional projects, we are focused on empowering them to develop foundational AI literacy and on making sure all Penn Staters have equal access to the same AI tools to build their skills.”
Students interested in learning about AI can get started by taking AI Essentials and exploring AI Studio and other AI offerings as part of Penn State’s portfolio of AI services.
Take AI Essentials self-paced course
Students are encouraged to complete AI Essentials, a self-paced course designed to help Penn Staters build the skills and ethical judgment to use AI responsibly in class and beyond. The course, which doesn’t require using AI, covers topics such as technical knowledge, ethical awareness, critical thinking and practical application.
While some students will be assigned the course by faculty as part of their classes this fall, anyone can choose to take it on their own. Students will be emailed a certificate within 24 hours of successfully completing AI Essentials, and faculty can check Course Insights to confirm a student completed the course. Students who took the course in the summer do not need to retake it this fall.
To get started, students can access AI Essentials through their Canvas dashboards, and faculty and staff can access it through the Learning Resource Network. In addition, a number of resources are available for faculty and instructors who are interested in learning more about AI in the classroom at Penn State's AI website.
Explore AI Studio and other Penn State-provided generative AI services
Penn State offers a portfolio of AI services — including AI Studio, Microsoft Copilot, Adobe Firefly, Google Gemini and Gemini Notebook — for students, faculty and staff.
AI Studio, which is Penn State’s enterprise generative AI platform, provides access to models from OpenAI (ChatGPT), Anthropic (Claude) and Google (Gemini) in a single interface, allowing students to choose the best model for their task. The platform can support activities like brainstorming, studying, note-taking, understanding complex topics, research, and more.
To get started, students can access AI Studio using their Penn State credentials. On first login, students will review a brief acknowledgement covering data handling, permitted use and the limitations of AI-generated content. For more information on session and usage limits, AI Studio capabilities and support and training resources, visit the AI Studio page on Penn State’s AI website.
Check instructors’ policies and use AI responsibly
Before using AI tools for assignments or classwork, students should always review their course syllabi and check with instructors first. Penn State encourages the responsible use of AI and clear communication about course-specific expectations.
A number of resources are available to help you pick the right AI tool for your task and comfort level, learn how to get better results and stay within usage limits, and understand how to use AI responsibly.
Protect personal information
When using Penn State-provided AI tools, students should feel confident that their privacy and data are protected. AI Studio was designed with security and privacy in mind, providing a Penn State-managed environment where prompts and conversations remain private.
AI Studio offers students a secure space to explore, learn and experiment with AI:
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Penn State IT does not actively monitor or share individual chats, including with instructors.
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Prompts and conversations will not be provided in connection with academic integrity investigations.
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Chats and conversations will only be disclosed in limited circumstances such as a health or safety emergency or in response to a legal request.
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Your personal information is not used to train AI Studio or its underlying AI models.
To learn more about what types of data can and cannot be used in generative AI tools, review Penn State’s data protection guidelines.
Get involved
For students who are new to or curious about AI or already actively using it, there are many ways to get involved at Penn State. Learn more about opportunities at your campus through Discover, the student organization directory. A new AI Student Advisory Council, which will be created this fall in partnership with the vice provost for AI, will give students an opportunity to help shape how AI is used and supported across the University.
Get support
For further questions or support:
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Learn to use AI tools via live trainings, asynchronous resources or with personalized help with IT Learning and Development.
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Email the AI Center of Excellence in Teaching and Learning at aicenterofexcellence@psu.edu.
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Learn more and access additional resources, including FAQs, at Penn State’s AI website.