Faculty at ASU are concerned about a new AI-powered course builder
Faculty at Arizona State University are concerned that a new web application being tested by their institution, called Atom, is using their instructional materials without notifying them first.
Their concerns, reported by Inside Higher Ed, began after noticing that video lectures, slide decks and online assignments from their courses were being edited and repackaged as part of an AI-powered system that allows courses to be cobbled together by selecting various modules.
The issue of who owns the AI rights to content posted online is still being settled. Separately, dozens of lawsuits have been filed against AI companies for copyright infringement after it was shown that their models had ingested written and recorded works traditionally protected by copyright law.
Beyond concerns of content ownership, faculty also told Inside Higher Ed that they didn’t think students would be well served by Atom, which was seemingly not guided by careful pedagogical considerations, but the unknown workings of some hidden algorithm.
