AI Liberation: Education Shift Campaign
A far-left boycott crusade to re-envision AI norms within educational institutions, influencing cultural and societal shifts.
Updated July 6, 2023
CAMPAIGN IDEA
A campaign designed to boycott educational institutions that are uncritical in their adoption and utilization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies within their systems and curriculum.
CAMPAIGN DESCRIPTION
This campaign, ‘AI Liberation: Education Shift’, is an initiative that aims to provoke a rethink of our relationship with AI technologies within the context of the educational sector. The primary aim of this campaign is to reduce the uncritical adoption and application of AI in educational institutions, and to promote a more ethical, democratic, and critical approach towards the use of AI.
In practice, the campaign will involve mobilizing students, teachers, and stakeholders to refuse participation in AI-based systems where the ethical implications are questionable. The campaign will leverage on the potential collective bargaining power of these stakeholders to effect policy changes regarding the deployment of AI in educational institutions.
THEORY FOR WHY THIS CAMPAIGN WILL CREATE CHANGE
This campaign strategizes that the target audience, educational institutions, are sensitive to the needs and demands of their key stakeholders: students, teachers, and parents. By creating a large-scale boycott and refusal to engage with questionable AI systems, the impact will have a ripple effect that cannot be ignored.
Simultaneously, this collective action is an invitation for everyone in educational institutions to be a part of the conversation and act together on ethical technology use. It represents a cultural shift, a change in attitudes and behavior regarding the use of AI, and would have profound and lasting effects on society.
PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCING CAMPAIGN TO MEDIA
For Immediate Release
The AI Liberation: Education Shift campaign is underway. This campaign is a boycott of all educational institutions that are uncritical in their use of AI technologies.
In recent years, there has been an uncritical rush to incorporate AI technologies into every aspect of our lives, and especially in our schools. Schools and universities have been complicit in this rush, often adopting these technologies without fully understanding the ethical implications or considering the possible ramifications.
We seek to change this. The AI Liberation: Education Shift campaign is a call to arms for all students, teachers, and stakeholders to reject the uncritical adoption of AI technologies in education. We aim to create a more mindful, ethical, and democratic approach to technology use within learning spaces.
This campaign is not against technology or progress. Rather, it is a campaign for ethical and responsible progress. We believe that AI has the potential to enhance education, but only if it is used in a way that respects our rights and freedoms. We call on all educational institutions to join us in this vision.
HOW WILL OPPONENTS TO THIS CAMPAIGN TRY TO STOP IT
Opponents of this campaign, primarily large educational institutions and technology corporations, might discredit the movement as anti-technology or regressive. They may use their largescale platforms to paint activists as unreasonable or resistant to progress.
HOW SHOULD ACTIVISTS RESPOND TO OPPONENT’S ATTEMPTS TO STOP IT
Activists must counter these narratives by emphasizing that the campaign is not against technology or AI, but rather for ethical, democratic, and responsible use of these technologies. They should continuously showcase examples of negative impacts of uncritical AI deployment and juxtapose them with potential benefits of a cautious, mindful approach.
WHAT ARE THE STEPS NECESSARY TO LAUNCH THE CAMPAIGN
- Gather a passionate team of activists and volunteers.
- Conduct in-depth research on current AI practices within education.
- Develop clear campaign goals, strategies, and timelines.
- Build a comprehensive communication plan.
- Mobilize students, parents, and teachers.
- Execute actions, such as petitions, boycotts, or direct action.
- Simultaneously, initiate dialogue with educational institutions for policy changes.
Each step should be guided by a firm belief in the cause and a persistent approach, even in the face of resistance.