Well, that was fast. Columbia’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, has resigned after barely more than a month on the job. An independent review of communications to the student body from Columbia administrators revealed each of Armstrong’s emails to set off anti-AI software. A deeper investigation uncovered that Armstrong had been spending most of her time as president alone in her office, dictating prompts to feed to a popular generative AI software. The interim president attempted to resign immediately, yet, as she sat down to type out an email announcing the news, Armstrong broke down in tears. Deans Sorrett and Chang reported her as saying, “Guys, I literally can’t read or write.”
For those seeking to regulate AI in the classroom, this scandal serves as an example of the unfair success that many can achieve by using these cheating tools. However, many students have used this as an opportunity to advocate for AI in the classrooms, and have begun to protest by donning matching bracelets reading “Katrina ArmstrongerTogether”.
