AI Poses Unexpected Risks to HigherEd
Ethical use of AI, the importance of AI literacy, and codifying how and when AI can be used by students and professors in academic and professional settings are key risk exposures facing higher education.
This week, I am sharing two articles that expose the potential legal and reputation risks colleges and universities may face if AI risks are not carefully managed. While these lawsuits are not directly related to AI use in a college setting, the fact that the parents of a high school student and a college professor are involved leads me to believe that higher education will not be immune. Are these two lawsuits a harbinger of more to come?
The most recent lawsuit referenced in the linked graphic centers on the ethical use of AI, and the outcome of this case may have long-term impacts on other risks, such as "free speech, AI reliability, and legal accountability."
This suit involves allegations that a Stamford Professor provided testimony on deepfakes while allegedly using AI content to generate a "fake" study in his declaration supporting a new Minnesota law banning deepfakes. Unfortunately, these allegations only compound mistrust in higher education (another risk!) and further politicize the battle for "free speech" (yes, another risk!). Lastly, this case exposes the risks of the "reliability of AI-generated content in professional and legal contexts.'"
Read more here: https://www.allaboutai.com/ai-news/stanford-professor-accused-of-using-ai-to-fabricate-testimony-in-lawsuit/
The second lawsuit is one of the first in the US and is centered on the legal challenges K-12 schools face regarding the appropriate use of AI for student assignments. In this case, a student's parents believe their son was unfairly punished by his high school for using generative artificial intelligence on an assignment. The allegations in this lawsuit underscore the need for colleges and universities to be proactive and enact comprehensive and clear AI policies when it comes to academics to avoid making headlines.
Read more here: https://www.edweek.org/technology/parents-sue-after-school-disciplined-student-for-ai-use-takeaways-for-educators/2024/10
2025 will be an interesting year for higher education, and AI risk will be one of those top risks. Want to learn more? Here at HigherEdRisk, we are busy finalizing our articles for our Winter Edition. One of our featured authors will dive deeper into the complexity of AI risk, the need for AI literacy, and recommended risk mitigation strategies. Look for it in early 2025.
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