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This testimony was collected as part of the research project entitled “In the eye of the storm: Higher education in an age of crises” conducted by Howard Stevenson, Maria Antonietta Vega Castillo, Melanie Bhend, and Vasiliki-Eleni Selechopoulou for Education International. The research report and executive summary are available here.

Worlds of Education: Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly present in many aspects of life. In higher education, AI brings both challenges and opportunities. How has the AFT approached the implications of AI in the sector?

The AFT has decided to adopt a proactive and strategic response to AI in education. To this end, we have established two groups to look at the growing implications of AI use in the whole education sector.

An initial group was established that looked at AI issues across the whole sector (K-12 to higher education). In 2024, the group published a report that set out ‘common sense guardrails’ for using advanced technology in educational institutions.

However, we recognised that many issues relating to AI use have specific implications in higher education. This is why AFT President Randi Weingarten decided to establish a second task force, focused only on higher education. The higher education task force has released a document similar to AFT’s guardrail publication for education but highlighting specific higher education concerns, called “Key Principles for Using Artificial Intelligence” and can be found here.

Worlds of Education: What are some of the specific concerns AI raises in higher education?

We are concerned about access and equity issues relating to the use of AI in higher education. Intellectual property is another important issue that we must address. The deployment of technology in colleges and universities without consulting faculty is a serious problem as well. And of course, there is also the danger of AI being used to replace workers.

The AFT’s guiding principle is that AI must be used to augment work, not replace workers. Certainly, there are a lot of productive ways to use AI, but it should not be used as a way to replace workers. It is the human being who is at the centre of teaching and learning - not the AI tool.

We also believe that AI should not be used to make decisions about job appointments or tenure. We are working to ensure that only human beings make tenure and appointment decisions, and furthermore, that the rights of contingent staff are protected, and not undermined further, by the use of AI.

Worlds of Education: How does your union plan to address these concerns?

We are keen to ensure that AI is a staple issue on collective bargaining agendas. We are developing sample contract language that can be shared across unions in different institutions.

However, we also aim to ensure that AI issues are part of the wider shared governance agenda in higher education institutions. It can’t be just the administration making decisions and faculty having to follow them. The union has to be involved – whether it is negotiating new language in a contract, or through shared governance.

For example, faculty must be involved in decisions about IT infrastructure purchase and procurement and we must be involved at an early stage of the process. Technology purchase decisions have major implications for how teaching, research, and administration are undertaken, and can lock organisations into long term commitments. This is why faculty, through our unions, have to be involved in these decisions at a time when we can have meaningful influence.

The work of the AFT Higher Ed AI Task Force is on-going and embedding trade union involvement in decision-making and negotiations around the use of AI in higher education will be fundamental to our work going forward.