CSUMB students demonstrate against CSU’s contract with OpenAI to provide ChatGPT.
Students at California State University, Monterey Bay protested the California State University system’s contract with OpenAI to provide ChatGPT Edu. Protesters cited concerns about AI’s environmental effects and its potential to undermine independent thinking, while other students and CSU officials defended the technology’s educational value.
About 20 students gathered at California State University, Monterey Bay in Seaside to protest the CSU system’s contract with OpenAI for ChatGPT Edu. The demonstration, organized by Cori Lopez and the CSUMB Sunrise Movement chapter, was part of a broader week of action across CSU campuses. Protesters raised concerns about AI’s environmental impacts and its effect on students’ ability to think independently.
CSU signed a $17 million, 18-month agreement with OpenAI in 2025 and renewed it in 2026 for $13 million annually over three years, providing the tool at no cost to students. CSU spokesperson Amy Bentley-Smith said the university respects student expression and has a responsibility to prepare students for AI-driven changes in the workplace. Surveys found widespread student use of ChatGPT Edu, although nearly 70% of surveyed CSUMB students said they did not trust AI algorithms to provide accurate information.