Right now, Universities across NSW are signing deals with foreign tech companies like OpenAI- without any staff, student, or public consultation.
In recent weeks,
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The University of Sydney and The University of NSW have signed multi-million dollar deals with OpenAI
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Macquarie University is already using AI chat bots in learning contexts
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The University of Newcastle is using AI avatars to deliver lectures
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The University of Wollongong has rolled out an AI “study buddy” program
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Student work is being marked by AI
Just this week we learned of OpenAI hacking Australia’s Medicare system, accessing non-public data- which was only flagged by the company 3 months after the fact.
We’ve seen what these programs do when they don’t have authorized access- what happens when our universities just wave them through?
If AI is everything it’s claimed to be our jobs are under threat.
The Anthropic CEO reckons it’s going to be a general replacement for labour, including in jobs like ours in the University sector.
If we let management decide on the pace and scale of AI implementation without staff input we can’t rely on jobs being safe. Job disruptions will happen across the higher education industry. It has already begun.
If AI doesn’t live up to the hype and its capabilities are overstated, the fact still stands- management is willing to sell out staff and students for the benefit of big tech and submit to the claims of a marketing campaign.
No matter what happens with AI, our need to organise against it is more pressing than ever. Our university, education, research and our community are too important to take these sweeping AI-driven changes lying down. Staff need to have a hand in the policy of the university, which only happens when the majority of staff are union members so we can push back in numbers.
The union for all university staff is currently in bargaining for the new staff workplace agreements across multiple universities.
At this very moment we’re bargaining over clauses that would prevent job losses to AI.
To protect staff and Universities themselves from poorly thought out and implemented AI, the NTEU is calling for:
- Co development of AI systems that will have significant impacts on staff work and jobs;
- AI systems to be used to augment the work of employees, not replace them;
- All decisions that impact employees and their working conditions to be made by humans;
- AI systems be subject to human oversight to ensure accountability, safety and alignment with human values;
- The University to be transparent about where and how AI is being used;
- The University to actively protect and maintain the moral rights of employees and not let the work of employees be used without attribution and written consent;
- The University to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and culture are protected from inappropriate use of AI.
Join the NTEU today to protect your job, future jobs, and the integrity of higher education from AI and big tech.
