UConn-AAUP Executive Committee statement on AI at UConn
In August 2026, the UConn administration signed a contract for GrayDI that describes a request for students’ (and their parents’) non-public data for input into generative AI (see pdf page 34). For what purpose does our administration agree to share student data? To lower the cost of education for working families? No. The contract appears to pay nearly $200,000 to use our students’ data to substantially inform the profitability of majors at UConn. GrayDI advertises software that supports limiting a student’s educational opportunities based on the community in which they grow up. This Q&A says GrayDI will not be used this way. We encourage the UConn community to read the contract in full (see pdf page 23).
Is UConn’s use of genAI safe and responsible? No. UConn declined to conduct a CT AI software impact assessment of GrayDI or to enter it into the CT AI software inventory. Although state law did not require these steps until October 1 2026, these were basic safety protocols that were already in use and seen as best practice. Given that genAI is evolving in unpredictable (and sometimes dangerous) ways, why opt out of AI safety programs? UConn doesn’t actually believe that genAI is risk free. Notice how the contract dedicates pages to legal protections for both GrayDI and the administration. Faculty, staff, and students? Not so much.
Our administration promotes genAI use at UConn. They ask us to not close our minds to the possibilities. We don’t. Generative AI could be amazing and UConn could grow into a leader in this field. If the plan is to deploy AI to fix economic and racial inequality, provide affordable healthcare and education, solve the climate crisis, or build new safe jobs for our students, we will be fully supportive. As with all technology the question leaders need to ask is not “How can it be monetized?” but rather “Whose values does it reflect?”
Whose values does AI reflect at UConn? Our administration answers to a Board of Trustees (BoT), dominated by political and economic elites. The average net wealth of BoT members is many times that of UConn students, staff, and faculty. With different lived experiences, it’s only natural that their values would diverge from ours. These are people whose families will never worry about losing healthcare, buying a first home, or paying for a child’s college tuition. A tool built on stolen intellectual property and owned by billionaires, AI’s primary functions seem to be making paying workers and critical thinking optional across Connecticut while siphoning public education funds away from families. Instead of taking a leadership role in genAI, we are becoming customers and products. UConn is not unique in this regard. Identical initiatives to purchase AI austerity software are being pushed by powerful boards, politicians, and AI companies at universities across the US.
What can you do? In the face of this corporate, elitist push to channel public funds away from CT families towards large AI companies through software contracts, we encourage the UConn community to push back.
1) Elevate students: The voices of students and families have been left out. If you haven’t yet asked students how they feel about generative AI, please do. Our experience is that they don’t care for it. Our university’s future should be aligned with the hopes and dreams of our students, not the cold dashboard of GrayDI. Let’s help UConn’s students to have a say on AI.
2) Engage with your union: UConn-AAUP represents all tenured, tenure-track, in-residence, adjunct faculty, and athletics personnel. Our contract gives all of us (including non-members) protections from some AI-associated risks. Member or not, please seek out your UConn-AAUP department representative and ask them to bring the issue to Representative’s Assembly meetings where we can discuss next steps. If you don’t have a department representative, please nominate yourself. If you think the administration has violated your rights, you want to learn about your rights, you want to help out, or you just want to listen, please connect with us. We welcome everyone.
“But unions can be frustrating!” you cry. We wholeheartedly agree with this every single day. Your choice is not between unions and some imaginary solution that is free from possible compromise or personal engagement. Your choice is whether you want to participate in a democratic process (which can be challenging) or stand by and leave your fate up to the billionaire class.
“Shouldn’t UConn-AAUP have tried to work with our administration instead of always opposing?” you ask very reasonably. The goals of every union are 1) fair compensation and 2) to give employees real standing at their jobs. We wish UConn had invited UConn-AAUP to discuss genAI before taking action (e.g., creating AI for ImpaCT, creating a new AI major, purchasing GrayDI). Together we would have ironed out our shared concerns, and then we would have negotiated on our remaining differences. Alas, here we are. We want a strong working relationship with our administration. We always remain open to an honest dialogue, and often taking a stand now is the most effective means for assuring that will happen in the future