AI is at the forefront of everyone’s minds. The UConn-AAUP chapter leadership voted last week on the creation of an AD-HOC committee on AI. If you are interested in supporting the chapter work on this issue contact Knighton, James james.knighton@uconn.edu
The National AAUP also has a series of events that we strongly encourage members to attend.
National AAUP Fall Series on AI Issues in Higher Ed
*New* Strategy Playbook for Addressing AI at Work
Wednesday, October 7, 3 p.m. ET
This session spotlights a key resource from the AAUP’s new Toolkit for Activism on AI, “On the Field,” a strategy procurement playbook that outlines various tools and strategies for workers in higher education to democratize procurement practices around AI and other technologies. Speakers will address contracts between institutions and vendors, their implications for academic workers, and how you can raise awareness, demand transparency, and change the culture surrounding technology policy decision-making on your campus. Register now.
Intervening in Local Policy and Bargaining Around Technology
Monday, October 12, 3 p.m. ET
This session continues our focus on the new toolkit and highlights how to bargain for better shared governance around technology, drawing from recent wins for higher education, and how to develop community labor tables around technology issues. Register now.
Higher Education Investments and the AI Bubble
Wednesday, October 21, 3 p.m. ET
This session shares strategies for investigating and challenging retirement fund and endowment investments. Speakers will outline several ways that such investments are tied into tech industry interests that are overtly hostile to higher education and how to push back. Learn from TIAA-Divest!, Majority Action, and LittleSis and their successful campaigns in this area of divestment. Register now.
Protecting Research Integrity and Human Authorship in Academic Publishing
Thursday, October 29, 1 p.m. ET
This final session addresses the challenges and ethical dilemmas facing scholars and scholarly editors as the rapidly accelerating impact of AI-powered tools across academic disciplines and publications changes the stakes of the autonomous work that undergirds higher education. Register now.