Open Letter on the State of AI in Higher Education

To: The Arizona Board of Regents, Governing Board Members of Maricopa Community Colleges, as well as the Presidents of Northern Arizona University, Arizona State University, and University of Arizona

We the undersigned comprise a group of concerned students, staff, and faculty at Arizona’s Universities and Colleges. We include representatives from Arizona State University, Maricopa County Community Colleges, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona. Together, we share deep concerns about the impacts of generative AI technologies on higher education and are dissatisfied with the trajectory that our University and College leaders have chosen. Administrators are pressuring students, staff, and faculty to adopt unproven and untested generative AI technologies without addressing the well-documented harmful effects these technologies are having in our schools and in our larger communities. We remain concerned that university leaders are putting us down the path which includes mass-surveillance, high water and energy usage by data centers, widespread plagiarism by AI companies to train models, and sycophantic behaviors by LLM chatbots. This forced adoption by our administrators is a threat to campus worker job security, demonstrative of the lack of accountability by leadership, and detrimental to the mandate of public education.

We find the contractual agreements between our institutions and AI corporations lack transparency. The refusal by our administrators to disclose information regarding these deals is indicative of students and faculty's lack of decision making power regarding the adoption of AI tools. Furthermore, these contracts were drafted and signed with no input from the affected students, staff, and faculty. We demand the immediate creation of a stakeholder oversight body with a clear cost/benefit analysis structure for decision-making. This must include financial cost, environmental cost, impact to existing students, staff, and faculty as well as regular re-evaluation of tools and contracts as well as full disclosure of all financial incentives tied to AI use in our institutions, including public access to contracts with AI companies. 

ASU’s existing AI infrastructure, including the new AIR Platform, remain underutilized, yet result in layoffs and provide justification for the understaffing of university departments. Our staff are already pressed for creating course material, grading, and fulfilling research grants. Cuts made by the Trump Administration have left our researchers with less funding and resources, while strapping faculty with more work to appease the goals of the federal administration. We demand a demonstrated willingness to stand down AI infrastructure (such as the AIR platform) if lack of interest continues, rather than continuing to spend money on it simply for the sake of the superficial appearance of being innovative. Continued reckless AI spending comes at the cost of our faculty and staff. Our campus administrators want us to use AI tools instead of providing us with appropriate staffing, work allocation, and program funding. We demand that administrators immediately backfill positions that have been eliminated due to AI adoption. Going forward, AI adoption cannot be used as justification for eliminating positions or increasing job responsibilities. 

In July, investigations into ALPR cameras, such as those provided by Flock, Axon, and Vigilant, revealed startling cases of misconduct and abuse of the system. Since then, 11 municipalities across the state have curtailed or modified the use of ALPR systems. As students and faculty, we find ALPR surveillance to be in stark violation of the basic principles of a safe and educational environment. We demand the immediate removal of all Flock Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras on campus property and the ending of all contracts with AI surveillance companies. As well as a thorough and independent investigation regarding violations. 

We, undersigned, commit to:

1. Calling for action against the forced implementation of artificial intelligence and mass-surveillance systems, which represent a threat to the integrity and safety of the learning environment.

2. Affirming our commitment to academic excellence.

3. Speaking out for the full disclosure of incentives concerning staff, faculty, and students.

We demand a higher education fully committed to the wellbeing of its students, staff, faculty, and community. 

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