This big university system is embracing AI. Students and faculty aren't all on board

Oh, lovely. The California State University system, all 23 campuses of it, has decided to spend $17 million of taxpayer money on a no-bid contract with OpenAI for ChatGPT Edu. Because nothing says 'rigorous academic governance' like skipping the tender process and handing a monopoly to a company whose product's main claim to fame is inventing plausible-sounding nonsense. But who needs evidence when you have a sexy name like 'ChatGPT Edu'?

The university's administration claims this is about preparing students for the 'AI-powered workforce'. Because the best way to prepare for a future where your job is automated is to start by automating your own education. The faculty are worried about academic integrity and the erosion of critical thinking. But don't worry — OpenAI's chatbot will write a very convincing essay about why that's actually a reasonable trade-off. The environmental cost of training these models? Oh, that's just the price of progress, darling. Never mind that the same students are supposed to be learning about sustainability.

And the pièce de résistance: this is a 'pilot program' with 'no guarantee of renewal.' So we're spending $17 million on a trial that everyone involved except the people writing the cheque seems to hate. If this were a student's budget proposal, it would be rejected for lack of due diligence. But it's an administration with a tech crush and a no-bid contract, so full steam ahead into the glowing, resource-hungry unknown. Cheers.