Cal State faculty seek limits on AI replacing campus workers

California lawmakers are moving toward a bill that would bar the California State University system from replacing faculty with generative AI, a measure backed by the California Faculty Association. The union says few direct examples of replacement have emerged, but it wants protections before AI tools become embedded in teaching, counseling and other bargaining-unit work.

Cal State’s AI push has heightened those concerns. The system signed a $17 million contract with ChatGPT last year to give students and faculty access to education tools, then renewed access at $13 million annually for the next three years. A spring survey found just over half of faculty said AI was negatively affecting their teaching, while just one-third of students said professors teach them how to use AI effectively.

Labor tensions have already surfaced at Sacramento State, where the union challenged proposed AI uses tied to mental health guidance, contract interpretation and course tutoring bots. Cal State disputed the claims, and the parties settled in March with Sacramento State agreeing not to implement autonomous programs or bots primarily performing faculty work or evaluating faculty without meeting with the union first.

The proposal fits into a broader California debate over AI in workplaces, including bills that would limit AI-only employment discipline and restrict chatbot-based therapy. An Assembly higher education committee advanced the Cal State measure with a 10-0 vote.