A dean at Boston University has suggested using generative AI to replace the work of striking graduate students. This proposal was made in an email to university faculty as a potential solution to manage course discussion sections and labs impacted by the ongoing protests of the Boston University Graduate Worker Union (BUGWU).
The dean, Stan Sclaroff, who serves as the university’s Dean of Arts & Sciences, suggested that professors could engage generative AI tools to give feedback or facilitate ‘discussion’ on readings or assignments. This idea of replacing protesting graduate employees with AI is a new one and has raised eyebrows in the academic community.
The BUGWU’s strike, which began on March 20, is part of a larger trend of grad student protests across the country. These students argue that their stipends are insufficient compared to the high tuition costs of American higher education. This is the first known instance of a university considering automation as a potential solution to striking employees and students.
However, the complex work that grad students do and the current limitations of AI-powered chatbots make this a questionable solution. An unnamed faculty member expressed surprise at the AI recommendation and described it as “demoralizing”.
read more > futurism.com