A few dozen students at San Diego State University marched to the campus student union on Oct. 20, 2026, and urged the California State University system to end its OpenAI agreement, KPBS reported. The protest targeted CSU’s systemwide access to ChatGPT Edu.
What students objected to
KPBS reported that protesters raised concerns about potential job losses, political funding, AI use by immigration enforcement and the Israeli military, and the environmental effects of data centers. The political-funding concern involved an OpenAI co-founder’s support for President Donald Trump’s interests.
Those concerns span the contract’s price and the broader social effects of AI. The students’ demand focused on CSU’s agreement with OpenAI, while the signs and comments described by KPBS also challenged the consequences protesters associate with the technology.
CSU’s reported agreement with OpenAI
KPBS reported that CSU entered a no-bid contract worth $17 million in 2025, providing students, faculty and staff access to an educational version of ChatGPT. The system later renewed the agreement for three years at a reported total of $39 million. NPR described the renewal as $13 million per year for three years.
The deal funds institutional access to ChatGPT Edu. It is separate from students’ use of ChatGPT through other access, a distinction reflected in CSU survey responses.
What the 2025 survey found
More than 94,000 CSU students, faculty and staff responded to a 2025 survey, NPR reported. Among respondents, about 65% of students and 59% of faculty were skeptical that AI benefited education overall.
About 84% of student respondents said they used ChatGPT. Of those users, about one-quarter said they used CSU-provided access, while most used the free version. So reported ChatGPT use among students did not translate into widespread use of the system-funded access among those respondents. NPR also reported that 80% of student respondents were uncomfortable submitting AI-generated work as their own.
David Goldberg, a San Diego State University associate professor and survey co-author, said the results described people who responded and did not establish the views of those who did not.
CSU leaders’ case for renewal
CSU spokesperson Amy Bentley-Smith said the system respected students’ right to voice their views and defended AI resources and training as preparation for an economy increasingly shaped by AI.
CSU chief information officer Ed Clark told NPR that a generative AI advisory committee made up of students, faculty and staff unanimously recommended renewing the agreement. That recommendation was part of the system’s reported rationale for continuing the program, alongside its emphasis on preparing graduates to work with AI.
