As this report makes clear, responsible use of AI technologies at UWM will entail drawing from an array of potential mechanisms to consider how they may be implemented across multiple contexts of technology use. Each of these implementations, in turn, must be pursued in a way consistent with a campus-wide framework, guided by campus-wide policy. The complexity of developing this framework and policy will demand significant resources, sustained effort, and leadership, but will position UWM to be a leader in addressing the challenges and opportunities of AI technologies for fellow urban, public, research universities.
Beyond the issues we have raised, there are a few additional considerations that we urge campus leadership to take seriously. First, the advent of AI technologies raises significant fears about the 12 potential loss of job security for many workers, and this is occurring amid a nationwide policy discussion about how to distribute the benefits of the broad and dramatic increase in worker productivity that many technologies, including AI, have brought to the American economy. UWM exists within this broader context, and we recommend that UWM acknowledge these broader forces and discussions in the policies and statements it issues with respect to AI technologies.
Second, we point out that ethics are inherent in language choices, because those choices can embed certain assumptions (which then frame subsequent discussion). For example, branding large language models as artificial intelligence implies (based on decades of science fiction depictions of intelligent computers) that LLMs are rational, analytical, and fact-based. Talking about the need for artificial intelligence literacy presupposes that the use of generative tools is a hard to master skill that must be taught universally because it is foundational to modern life. Pushing to leverage investments in AI presupposes that the net contribution of these technologies will be unfailingly positive, eliding the critical perspective by scholars and governmental bodies referenced throughout this document. Because such language choices, especially by those in positions of leadership, can set the terms for action in these ways, we recommend language choices that preserve both critical and exploratory aspects of our engagement with AI technologies (many of which we have endeavored to incorporate into the language of this report).
Finally, we wish to express our appreciation to Chancellor Mark Mone, Provost Andrew Daire, CIO Scott Genung, CIPO Brian Thompson, and Professor Purushottam Papatla for the opportunity to contribute to UWM’s Artificial Intelligence Task Force and help UWM to continue to move forward in developing its responsible use of technology.