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118 voters

Disallow the use of Generative AI in BSU & University Provided Works & Projects

Submitted 8 months ago by Raven Penfold

Expired
22comments

Although Generative AI has it's benefits - and is somewhat feasible for some people to use as placeholder images, it not only prevents various artists from getting work and comissions, but also is disrespectful to students who study the arts, and create art/music/do voice work. There have also been various strikes internationally in the arts and various other fields as a result of Generative AI, which have generally been successful (see below for news story links, you can find more with a quick search on any search engine of your choice (e.g. Google, DuckDuckGo, Bing)). https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4ngy53qyq8o https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/oct/01/hollywood-writers-strike-artificial-intelligence Generative AI has also been shown recently to be heavily inaccurate (https://www.techbetter.ai/post/how-in-accurate-is-generative-ai - 'How Innaccurate is Generative AI?', Magesh et al. (2024, retrieved 1 October 2024)). This petition aims to request that the BSU bans use of Generative AI in it's media, and across the BSU's advertisements, products and services - and that the University bans the use of Generative AI in assessor provided assessments, and marking.

Charles Scallan: 9:51pm on 7 Oct 24 If I find out that any of my lecturerers have used AI in any of the provided work I'm going to drop out immediately
Jack Smith: 10pm on 7 Oct 24 just no, stop the use of A.i
Lena Brivio: 10:03pm on 7 Oct 24 Very bad for the environment, and stifles the creativity that the uni continually promotes itself on. Do better.
Hero Mania: 10:07pm on 7 Oct 24 Why commission any of the talented arts students at your own university when you can just generate stupid looking slop at the press of a button while also destroying the environment! Great work BSU, you never fail to impress
Eli Brown: 10:10pm on 7 Oct 24 The university using A.I in this way is actively a slap in the face. It stifles new creators and discourages any form of original art and creativity, as well as feeling cheap. Imagine paying for a course at a university and seeing they're using A.I rather than the skillset they claim to teach and help students break into. Stop promoting the software that's actively going to pose a threat to the future job prospects you're trying to prepare me for.
Beatrice Abrams: 10:34pm on 7 Oct 24 AI is such garbage. Not only does it look terrible but it is such a lazy waste of resources, and a spit in the face of all the talented artists who literally go to the university. Seeing a student union email using AI images really damaged my faith in the university and I hope this goes through.
Josh Kirby: 10:43pm on 7 Oct 24 Ai should not be used in this capacity
Raven Penfold: 11:39pm on 7 Oct 24 If people wish to join the campaigner's Discord Server - the invite is https://discord.gg/q9TBFQPXv6
Zayne Zafar: 11:54pm on 7 Oct 24 It is at best ironic and at worst, a completely shameless act that the very place educating students to enter industries is simultaneously using the technologies that harms their future.
Joshua Childs: 12:07am on 8 Oct 24 This is wrong, its not respective of any artists
Elias Rosso: 12:15am on 8 Oct 24 A student union that chooses to utilise AI artwork and images, at a university who's history is built on the arts, a university with immense talent amongst its student body, shows how little it thinks of those it supposedly stands to serve. i fear "do better" doesn't cover it. this was a decision that should never have been made in the first place.
Cameron Dymott: 1:13am on 8 Oct 24 AI with an educational facility is disgraceful. It reduces the ability to learn and the ability to teach. Shortcuts are taken and the industry will grow sour with ineffective material
Finn Bendle: 2:58am on 8 Oct 24 The use of generative ai for image making actively harms those who aspire to achieve a career in the creative field. I strongly believe the BSU should be uplifting its own creative community and should cease its use of generative ai in this capacity.
Stanley Monks: 7:09am on 8 Oct 24 Actually fucking embarrassing to join an ARTS COURSE at a ARTS UNIVERSITY only for them to use generative AI to save a a few a pennies from their bottom line. Do better and actually think who you are affecting. If you guys are struggling that hard as a university that you need to use generative AI rather than hiring artists that says a lot about what kind of university this is.
Alex Dahill: 7:32am on 8 Oct 24 Lack of creativity when using generative AI, loss of well needing skills when writing or drawing such as: Innovation within projects, understanding the project and what it means, the influence and creativity behind the project, the knowledge and expertise gained through completing a hard task and being more independent and reliant against issues later in the project. AI does have its place in a few necessary locations I will admit, but the use in academic work stifles the innovation and creativity of those who use it and undermines the potential that they have in any creation, whether that be media or otherwise.
Dorian Denman: 10:05am on 8 Oct 24 Everyone else has already said it better than I could - absolutely no way would ever support the use of AI like this.
Joshua Laing: 3:24pm on 8 Oct 24 leaning on the artistic culture of Brighton then using generative slop is hypocritical, integrity clearly isn't the priority for the BSU it seems
Ashley Krimer: 6:09pm on 8 Oct 24 The problem with generative AI, outside of image generation and its theft of work from actual artists, is the fact that it delivers false information confidently, increasing the spread of misinformation and false information in a time when we need to be able to trust what we see.
Chynna Matthews: 10:49am on 9 Oct 24 Our lecturers use AI in example work for us to create - it's really disheartening as this is what will be killing our jobs in the future.
Flint Jones: 8:51pm on 10 Oct 24 Ai is not and will not ever be an art. Art is about creativity and originality and the wide colourful variety of NEW ideas that real minds create. Not theft. Not computer generation. It is shameful that art courses consider it a valid form of art
Joelle Hawes: 3:01pm on 17 Oct 24 Has no place on a creative course full of intelligent, hard working designers and artists.
Brighton Students' Union Union: 11am on 31 Oct 24 Response to the Petition on Generative AI Use at BSU: Thank you to everyone who took the time to engage with this petition and share your thoughts. Unfortunately, the petition did not meet the 500 votes needed to trigger a referendum. However, we appreciate the passion expressed in the comments, and we want to acknowledge the concerns raised about the impact of generative AI on the creative fields and student work. At Brighton Students’ Union, we are fortunate to have a talented graphic designer who creates most of our design content. We recognise the value of human creativity and do not see AI as a replacement for the artistic skills of our team or students. However, many of the tools we use, such as Adobe and Canva, incorporate AI to some extent, which is common practice in the design industry and makes it challenging to completely avoid its use. Currently, there are no restrictions on how other staff create images for their projects, and some have used various tools that incorporate AI. However, we will consider the feedback received through this petition as we move forward. It would also be impractical for us to ban the use of AI-generated content on our social media or website. Many of the images we use are created by students, either in clubs or societies, and we cannot always verify whether AI was involved in creating these images. We trust that students are using the tools available to them to showcase their work in the most effective way. We understand the concerns about the use of AI in teaching, particularly for students in the arts, and we will raise these issues with the University on your behalf. The integration of AI in academic work is an important discussion, and we agree that it should be handled with care, especially when it affects students' learning experiences and future careers in creative industries. Our full-time officers are already part of the University's working group on creating an AI policy, and we will ensure that students are consulted, and their views are heard throughout the process. Lastly, we want to be transparent in saying that even if we were to stop using AI-generated images, it wouldn’t result in the ability to hire more designers. Rather, it would slow down our ability to produce content that supports the many events and activities we deliver for students. We aim to balance efficiency with creativity, ensuring that our services meet your needs in a timely way. Thank you again for raising these issues and taking part in the petition, we want to encourage as many people to use this platform as possible to encourage debate and generate new ideas.

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Petitions

In this section

This is where you can make a change to your University experience

How it works

Petitions

Disallow the use of Generative AI in BSU & University Provided Works & Projects

Hints & Tips