Commentary on how Generative AI is Disrupting Higher Education

Canceling that Cal State ChatGPT contract does not solve the AI problem; it might make it worse
Publications Nik Janos Publications Nik Janos

Canceling that Cal State ChatGPT contract does not solve the AI problem; it might make it worse

Zach and I are in EdSource arguing against canceling the ChatGPT Edu contract with OpenAI. In short: “Let’s be clear, ending the CSU’s ChatGPT Edu contract would not address AI’s harms. Canceling would not change whether artificial intelligence shapes student work…The bottom line? Canceling the contract would create fragmentation, not stability, pushing the system back into an ethical Wild West of AI, where expectations around appropriate use are unclear and unevenly enforced.” Read it here.

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As AI upends entry-level job market, California higher ed must adapt now (EdSource)
Publications Nik Janos Publications Nik Janos

As AI upends entry-level job market, California higher ed must adapt now (EdSource)

In our new EdSource article, we examine how two forces—Generative AI and a new federal earnings test in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act—are colliding to put California degree programs at risk. As GenAI reshapes entry-level work and suppresses early-career earnings, more programs could fall below federal loan eligibility thresholds tied to graduate income. Early data already suggest several CSU and UC programs may be vulnerable, especially in a state where high non-degree wages raise the bar statewide. We argue that if public universities act now—leveraging existing strategic plans and industry partnerships—they can adapt before probationary failures turn into enrollment spirals.

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