A bill that would ban California State University from replacing faculty with artificial intelligence could soon be on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk.
Senator Sabrina Cervantes, a Democrat from Riverside and the author of the bill, spoke about the proposal at a hearing earlier this month.
"Many institutions of higher education are exploring options to integrate AI into their courses and cirriculum," said Cervantes. "In many instances, this has been done without any boundaries or guardrails."
There haven’t been many examples yet of Cal State attempting to replace faculty labor with artificial intelligence.
But just last year the university system signed a $17-million contract, which it has since renewed, with OpenAI. The first contract was reportedly one of the largest ever established between a higher-ed institution and an artificial intelligence company.
The California Faculty Association is backing the bill, which has so far garnered no opposition from lawmakers. It’s set for a final vote in the Assembly as soon as this Thursday.