Originally published: EdTech Innovation Hub, 12 August 2026
The National University of Singapore (NUS) has expanded its collaboration with OpenAI to provide ChatGPT Edu and Codex to every student, faculty member and member of staff, moving an existing relationship with the NUS School of Computing into an institution-wide deployment.
Access to the two AI tools will begin this month and include enterprise-level security and controls. The agreement also covers teaching pilots, student hackathons, faculty projects and potential joint research between NUS and OpenAI.
The availability of institutional accounts does not mean immediate integration across every course. ChatGPT Edu will initially be tested in selected courses before being introduced into undergraduate programs where the university determines that it can support specific learning objectives. No timetable has been provided for that wider course rollout.
OpenAI’s products will also operate alongside AI-Know, an AI platform developed internally by NUS, as the university applies the technology across education, research and administration.
Professor Aaron Thean, Deputy President for Academic Affairs and Provost of NUS, says the university intends to use the products to support, rather than displace, human capabilities: “We aim to leverage these advanced AI technologies not as replacements, but as powerful amplifiers of human intellect, creativity and judgment.”
Singapore students report frequent AI use
OpenAI announced the NUS agreement alongside a survey of 514 university students in Singapore. Pureprofile conducted the research on OpenAI’s behalf between August 3 and 7, 2026, surveying students aged 18 and over who were studying on campus or remotely.
The respondents were university students across Singapore, rather than an NUS-only sample.
Of those surveyed, 94% said they used AI several times a week or more, including 55% who used it multiple times each day. OpenAI also found that approximately 43% of ChatGPT use among people aged 18 to 24 in Singapore was related to learning and education.
The findings indicate a strong demand for practical experience. Ninety-five percent of respondents wanted more opportunities to use advanced AI tools on real-world university projects, while 88% were interested in building an AI application, product or company during university.
More than one-third, 35%, said they had already built an AI agent or assistant to help manage their studies, work or personal lives.
Students also connected AI skills with employment. Eighty-one percent believed those skills would give Singaporean graduates an advantage in the global workforce, while 77% considered them essential to success in their chosen careers. Another 84% expected AI literacy to become as fundamental as digital literacy, writing and numeracy.
