Whereas, the PSC recognizes the irreplaceable value of human connection, its vital role in creating a functional society and its importance as the cornerstone of quality education based on knowledge, truth, critical thinking, and culture, and
Whereas, the PSC maintains that a learning environment where students develop critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and interpersonal skills cannot be replicated by machines, and
Whereas, the PSC recognizes that in order for critical job positions in higher education to deliver quality service to students, such as those in counseling and advisement, the primary and ongoing contact with students must be made through human connection, and
Whereas, the PSC recognizes that its members have the right of self-preservation and should be given the opportunity to protect their livelihoods from extinctive technologies, and
Whereas, the 2023 – 2027 PSC-CUNY Memorandum of Agreement establishes the creation of a Labor-Management Committee on Educational Technology (LMCET) to discuss issues of educational technology as they relate to the faculty and staff terms and conditions of employment, and to fully engaged in decisions around AI adoption to safeguard fair labor practices, and promote responsible use of technology, and
Whereas, successful use of AI in education requires training, professional development, and ongoing collaboration among administrators, teachers, and support staff to ensure that AI serves as a tool that empowers, rather than replaces, human expertise, and
Whereas, the City University of New York has received a substantial amount of funding earmarked for technological research and innovation, in particular, the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) software and platforms, that will materially change the working conditions of students, faculty and staff, and
Whereas, the PSC recognizes the business model of such AI companies is predicated upon developing and selling systems that may displace the very labor that PSC members perform, and
Whereas, the operation of AI programs and data centers is energy intensive and contributes to substantial environmental pollution, which is counterproductive to the PSC’s fight for climate justice. Therefore, be it
Resolved that the PSC with the passage of this resolution, acknowledges and endorses resolutions on AI put forth by the AAUP Artificial Intelligence and Academic Professions and the UUP Resolution on the incursion of artificial intelligence companies into public education; and further be it
Resolved that the PSC, through the LMCET and in conjunction with members of the University Faculty Senate, will fight to keep the use of AI aligned with CUNY governance structures and will educate members widely about the risks and threats that AI poses to our members’ jobs, the educational professions, and our communities; and further be it
Resolved that the PSC will seek to collaborate with AAUP, UUP , other higher education unions and unions in other sectors, to use activism and the passage of legislation to: fight for the protection and preservation of human labor, organize against the overutilization of technology, fight for the responsible integration of AI in the workplace, fight against worker surveillance and the loss of intellectual property and institutional knowledge, and to seek transparency in the purchasing of systems that rely excessively and/or solely on artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to operate; and further be it
Resolved, the PSC will organize against the impact of AI that may violate already established laws and regulations regarding: discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes, confidentiality, disabilities, and economic inequality.