The University of Maine System is spending $1.4 million on an artificial intelligence program in which the effects may not be trackable and that only about 10% of the system population has used so far.
The system signed a two-year contract in May with OpenAI, an artificial intelligence start-up valued at nearly three-quarters of a trillion dollars, giving every faculty and staff member and student access to a specialized version of its chatbot called ChatGPT Edu.
The UMaine System is embracing AI at a time when the future of the technology is unknown, to the point that industry leaders fear it may end human life. The contract integrates the technology across its campuses but brings questions about cheating and cost at a time when the University of Maine is facing a $19 million budget shortfall that may lead to layoffs and retrenchment.
System staff, faculty and students were able to start using the chatbot earlier this month, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Strategic AI Integration Ryan Low said. The partnership is meant to prepare students for the workforce and improve operational efficiency, according to a press release from May.
Of the 31,000 staff, faculty and students across the system, about 2,900 are actively using the chatbot, according to UMaine System spokesperson Samantha Warren. About 1,700 users are students, she said.
The number of users is expected to grow, Low said, comparing that growth to the rise AI is currently experiencing, but there is no mandate for anyone to use it.
When Low announced the program would be available for students, faculty and staff, he received dozens of responses that ranged from positive to negative that showed the spectrum of feelings about AI in the UMaine System, Low said.
He also defended the cost of the two-year contract, and said the system was already “spending almost as much as we are now for a relatively small group of employees across the system to use these tools on their own. The contract cost equates to roughly $22 per user per year and provides more security than the free ChatGPT model, which includes inputs not being used for the program’s learning, Low said.
The UMaine System also believes using the technology will help it save money in other ways.
“We think for sure that we’ll find $700,000 worth of efficiencies a year over the course of the next two years,” Low said, adding that surveys will be used to track the system’s return on investment.
Brian McGill, a biological science professor, said because access to the chatbot was only given earlier this month, many professors were unable to integrate it into their courses this year.
McGill has not talked with a professor who has integrated it into their research or teaching, he said.
It’s unclear how those who have signed up for the chatbot have used it so far because the system is “not looking over anyone’s shoulder,” Low said. The contract does not include parameters for how the program can be used.
Low, who said he’s been described as “rabid” about AI, said there are many uses for the chatbot that students, faculty and staff could explore, but did not say specifically how it could help Mainers who are not employed or enrolled in the system.
For students, using the program could help them become more knowledgeable for a future with AI, making them more employable, Low said.
“Hopefully, we’re going to produce graduates and folks like myself who are out there having conversations now with businesses about how they can kind of leverage these tools,” Low said. “So, I think a few years from now, as we get more graduates out into the pool who understand how to use these tools, I think it makes you more marketable.”
As examples, Low showed ChatGPT outputs that he uses. Every week, ChatGPT sends Low a spreadsheet of emails he received each day ranked by importance. Low also uses the program to prepare him for his meetings and create short backgrounds for people he meets with.
These outputs led to Low being able to respond to more emails and be better prepared for meetings, he said. They’ve also changed the work assistants in his department do, he said.
Low spends two to four hours a day studying AI, he said. He was paid $390,000 in 2025.
At multiple conferences this summer, McGill talked with educators across the country who said AI is changing teaching and learning.
“Every single faculty member I talked to is talking about AI in the classroom and AI cheating, and how that presents new challenges for assessment,” McGill said.
Professors at UMaine have adjusted syllabi to show how students can use AI, McGill said.
While Low acknowledged that students could use the university-provided system to sidestep coursework, he added that students could cheat even if it wasn’t provided.
ChatGPT Edu should allow for more learning instead of cheating, Low said.
“I know the other side of that coin exists because I hear it from some of the faculty members who are in my class. These are also great tools to really help you learn really, really complex topics,” Low said.
If the program is successful, the system’s contract could be extended, Low said.