Dear Brock University, Stop Putting AI Before the Arts and Humanities

As students in Brock University’s Faculty of Humanities, we are genuinely frustrated and disappointed by the university’s decision to introduce a Bachelor of Arts in Artificial Intelligence.

We spend years studying theatre, history, literature, philosophy, and other subjects that are built around human experiences, creativity, and critical thinking. So to see our university introduce an entire degree dedicated to artificial intelligence within the Faculty of Humanities feels like a slap in the face to the students who have dedicated their education and futures to these fields.

As Dramatic Arts students, we know firsthand how much work goes into getting an education in the arts. We spend hours rehearsing, creating, researching, writing, performing, and working together to create something of meaning and value. We put everything we have into our work because we genuinely care about what we do and the impact it will have on society.

And right now, it feels like the world is failing artists and saying that what we do is becoming less valuable because a AI can supposedly do it for us.

The last place we should have to feel that way is at our own university, a place where we want to guarantee a sustainable future in the Arts, a proper education that can aide us in creating for our future. 

This year it sits around $12,000 for ONE year of a Dramatic Arts degree at Brock university , This is absurd especially when AI is already threatening the careers we’re paying thousands of dollars to pursue. We’re putting ourselves into debt to enter an industry that’s becoming increasingly uncertain, while the university we’re paying to educate us how to navigate this industry is investing in the very technology threatening our futures. We deserve to feel like our education, our creativity, and our careers are genuinely valued.

So when Brock announces a brand new AI degree in the fall , of course we have questions.

Where is the funding for this program coming from?

Why is this degree being housed in the Faculty of Humanities?

Were students consulted about any of this?

And what is Brock doing to protect and support the students who are already studying the arts?

Will the use of AI in the classroom affect the values of Academic Integrity?

We are asking Brock University and the Faculty of Humanities to listen to their students, be transparent about the introduction of this program, and reassure us that existing arts and humanities programs will continue to receive the funding, resources, and opportunities they deserve.

Please sign this petition if you believe Brock students deserve answers and that the arts and humanities are worth fighting for.

LIST OF PEOPLE TO EMAIL TO GET THIS PROGRAM REMOVED.

•  James Allard, Dean of Humanities (jallard@brocku.ca)
•  Alex Christie, Chair of Digital Humanities (achristie@brocku.ca)