Just a few short years ago, the term artificial intelligence likely didn’t mean much to most people outside the technology industry. Today, AI is encroaching on our daily lives and spreading through our institutions faster than policies are developed to regulate it.
James Davis, President of CUNY’s Professional Staff Congress, expressed that AI protections are a top priority for faculty and professional staff at CUNY, especially as they prepare to bargain a new contract next year.
In their last round of contract negotiations, PSC included a clause that required all CUNY courses to be taught by members of their bargaining unit — in other words, by a human being. While that may have seemed like paranoia then, it’s necessary in today’s environment, where some consider a robot to be an effective classroom teaching tool.
Davis emphasized that as we navigate this moment, the focus should always be on teaching and learning, and that students and staff shouldn’t be forced to figure things out on their own.
“When it comes to high-stakes issues like AI, there isn’t a university- wide policy and there needs to be. These are really serious challenges and they shouldn’t be left to individual colleges.”
United University Professions has been a leading voice for regulating AI in higher education and protecting students, faculty and staff from its potential harms.
On the heels of ratifying its new contract, which included precedent-setting AI protections, UUP has been meeting with members around the state to educate them about their new rights and how to organize and respond to AI-related concerns on their campuses.
NYSUT is also convening a working group of higher education workers from UUP, PSC and community college locals. Together they will examine how AI is reshaping teaching, labor, academic freedom, equity and governance across SUNY, CUNY and community colleges. The group will produce a white paper setting out principles and concrete policy recommendations.
Alissa Karl, UUP’s vice president for academics, explained that while AI is a multi-layered and rapidly evolving issue, it’s not a new kind of challenge in education, and that’s something that educators and staff from K–12 to higher ed can understand.
“We’re always having something show up in the workplace that changes the way that we do things,” said Karl.
“We want to be able to have conversations and talk through with members — what does this look like for you?” Karl continued.
“And we want to remind people that they have every right to ask questions about these technologies… and to determine how they’re used, where the data goes, and when not to use them.”
That’s why it’s essential for higher education members to organize and collaborate, not just in New York but nationwide, work that is already underway.
UUP members have expressed that they feel removed from discussions and decision making about the adoption of AI on their campuses, and that administrators are launching flashy EdTech and AI tools that could actually be harmful to students.
“We’re learning about them after they’re already purchased, after they’re already activated,” said Karl. “None of this is evidence based.”
What’s more, in the absence of institutional guidance on AI, it has become harder for faculty to identify and address issues of academic integrity, and that undermines educators and hurts students.
“For our members who are in the classroom, this is what keeps them up at night. Nobody wants to be the plagiarism police. It’s not why we went into this field,” said Davis.
Davis noted that the proliferation of AI and other technologies is common in resource-constrained environments. Technology promises efficiency and cost savings, and budget constraints are used as justification for implementing new technologies instead of hiring more staff.
“Those are the financial incentives of an underfunded institution, and they are pretty scary, because they don’t lead to good outcomes. They often lead to poor outcomes that don’t serve students.”
Karl made clear the depth of the threat facing public education, saying, “At the core, it’s a capture of public education, whether it’s higher ed or K–12, by private companies.”
Simply put, the moment calls for more investment in our state’s sterling public higher education system and its workforce, not less.