ASU faculty speak out against school's AI learning platform

“I was pretty surprised to see myself looking back at me,” Hanlon said.

He had asked the new platform, powered by artificial intelligence, to create a short lesson on literary criticism for him. In return, the system created a video just over a minute long, spliced in conjunction with the work of other ASU professors.

Hanlon is among many ASU professors who said they weren’t informed of or consulted in the university’s latest effort to leverage AI technology, which utilizes much of their teachings. The platform, launched last month, is called ASU Atomic and offers personalized short-form lessons on a range of topics for a subscription fee.

ASU Atomic is currently operating as a pilot program and is not actively accepting new sign-ups. The website boasts that the platform is the first-ever system combining "verified university content with adaptive AI" to create informal educational material.

The program pulls from "ASU Online's full library of course content across subjects including business, finance, technology, history, and more," according to the website, which adds that the pilot program is "focused on testing informal, non-degree learning experiences," as opposed to helping learners get school credit.

Under Arizona Board of Regents policy, the board generally owns intellectual property created by university employees created in their "scope of employment" when there is a significant use of university resources. The board oversees the state's public university system, including ASU.

In response to questions from The Arizona Republic, an ASU spokesperson emphasized that the pilot was still in its early days.

“It is not, nor was it intended to be, the final project,” spokesperson Jerry Gonzalez said in a statement. “We will test things, and improve things, and it will evolve along the way. That’s part of the innovation process.”

Gonzalez did not answer questions on whether ASU faculty were informed or consulted prior to the platform's launch.

“The pilot explores how ASU can use existing digital content in new ways to reach learners beyond those enrolled in degree programs,” he wrote.

Hanlon said the content on Atomic was modified significantly from its original form, and the liberal use of AI opened the door to inaccuracies.

“As I was watching it, I thought, ‘No one would understand this.’ It wouldn’t make any sense to anyone who was trying to learn about the subject matter,” Hanlon said.

Hanlon said he's deeply disappointed by how the new software has reaffirmed some people’s negative opinions of ASU.

“It makes ASU look like a place that just isn't serious about education.”

The technology within ASU Atomic is part of a “larger vision” for the institution, according to the website. Officials want “ASU's learning resources available in flexible, modular ways — eventually helping learners of all ages and backgrounds access ASU-quality learning that fits their goals, time, and budget.”

Subscribers can ask for a learning module for a wide array of topics, with some prompts on the website ranging from how someone in retirement could start a coffee roastery or help someone create their own consulting firm.

On the site's frequently asked questions page, leadership said the pilot version of the software was intended to figure out "what works, and what doesn't" before the full release.

ASU faculty raises questions over plans for Atomic

Several faculty members, including some in leadership positions, are worried about how the platform is using faculty lectures and work.

In an email obtained by The Republic, an assistant dean urged faculty to reach out with their concerns to the ASU provost’s office, saying, “if we do not flood them with our concerns now — they will think it is all fine.”

“Currently, this is being aimed at professionals and not for credit or credentialing — but if you read the site, it is clear that is the ultimate goal,” Kristin Mickelson, assistant dean within ASU’s Graduate College, wrote.

On Atomic's website, ASU officials said that while not all feedback will receive a response, they are taken into consideration.

A leader with ASU’s faculty senate said the group was not involved in the planning or launch of Atomic, and was still learning what it entailed.

“We look forward to working with our administration to understand the project goals, implications, and the role of shared governance in such,” Senate President Elisa Kawam said in an email.

Michael Kintscher, a member of United Campus Workers Arizona, said he was concerned ASU was falling short in its duty to responsibly serve the community in how ASU Atomic was rolled out. He noted potential inaccuracies in the content and lack of professor compensation from the earnings.

“If our university creates a tool that pulls information out of context and, even if unintentionally, helps with the spreading of misinformation on a large scale," Kintscher said. "That's not OK.”

Kintscher said AI technology has the potential for good in education, but was concerned that he hadn’t come across any professors or students who knew about the creation of the platform before it was unveiled to the public.

“Some of the best AI researchers in the world are faculty at ASU, literally some of the best in the world, and they don't appear to have been consulted before even a test of a tool like this,” Kintscher said.

Other faculty from around the country have responded to the rise of AI's use in education by turning to physical media, Hanlon said. That includes some professors returning to physical textbooks and written assignments. He hopes the increased attention to ASU Atomic can also spark a conversation surrounding copyright protections for faculty work, which would prevent universities from accessing a professor's syllabus or class materials without permission.

"These are modest proposals that I think would go a long way to helping us to avoid this kind of debacle in the future."