‘Keep Carleton Human’: Carleton University staff rallies to push for protections from A.I.

Teaching assistants held a rally at Carleton University on Thursday, calling for rules to be put in place for AI use. CTV’s Kimberley Fowler

Artificial intelligence is a new frontier in labour negotiations, and as employers adopt the technology, workers are pushing for protections to ensure A.I. won’t replace their jobs.

At Carleton University, CUPE 4600 — the union representing teacher’s assistants, research assistants and contract instructors — held the “Keep Carleton Human” rally on Thursday, fighting for clear-cut rules on how A.I. should be used going forward, as ongoing contract talks linger with the school.

“This could become a school where ChatGPT writes the papers, ChatGPT grades the papers, rich kids buy an experience, and nobody gets an education,” says Ariel Becherer, a PhD student and CUPE 4600 Lead Negotiator and V.P. of Unit 1, in front of a group of dozens at the rally in the Carleton University Academic Quad.

Dominique Marshall, President of the Carleton University Academic Staff Association and President of the Librarians Association also spoke at the rally in support of the union.

“We are all working for a better public education, and against the degradation of public education,” Marshall said.

The group then marched across campus to amplify their fight for the university to agree on defined policies and to establish protections around the day-to-day use of artificial intelligence.

“I’m not saying AI shouldn’t exist or AI should be banned outright,” Finn Dodgson, a research assistant in the Physics Department, told CTV News during the march. “But there should be, like they say, guardrails on how it should be used and how it can be used in the context of grading student work and providing feedback.”

CUPE 4600 says they have been bargaining with Carleton University since September, when their last contract expired.

“There’s no reason the university shouldn’t be willing to commit to protect the jobs and the roles of these people at the university,” says Dodgson.

In an open letter to the university, the union says it wants teaching assistants, research assistants, and contract instructors to be protected from:

• Having their work reduced or replaced by or as a result of AI.
• AI making hiring, evaluations, and/or discipline decisions.
• Data, metadata, intellectual property, and/or grading feedback being fed to AI.
• being forced to use AI in their work (e.g., grading/feedback).

The union says Carleton’s bargaining team has repeatedly rejected their proposal.

“We’ve had some difficulties at the bargaining table getting the school to negotiate with us on these protections,” Maria Vorobeva, PhD student and CUPE 4600 V.P. of Internal, told CTV News during the march.

“They say they don’t have a mandate from the Board of Governors. So, we’re kind of out here today to let the Board of Governors know, you know, give your team a mandate. We’re looking to get these protections.”

In a statement to CTV News, Carleton University said:

“Carleton University supports the responsible, ethical and human-centred use of technology. The university is committed to working with the union’s bargaining team to address any outstanding items and reach a renewed collective agreement with CUPE 4600 Unit 1.”

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