To the Editor,
Walk through the Markee or the halls of Ullsvik lately, and you will see it: a slow creep of “uncanny” student recruitment. AI-generated posters are popping up more and more. While they might catch the eye for a second, they represent a growing “Wild West” on our campus—one where human creativity is being traded for a “generate” button.
We are currently operating in a policy vacuum that our regional neighbors have already filled. UW-Eau Claire has established clear guidance requiring that students be informed when they are interacting with AI technology. UW-La Crosse has implemented a 12-credit AI Ethics program and an “AI Usage Scale” to ensure human empathy and critical thinking aren’t replaced by automated shortcuts.
Why is UW-Platteville lagging?
Currently, our “Guide to Artificial Intelligence” focuses on the classroom and data security, but says nothing about the professional representation of our 200+ student organizations. This is dangerous. Research from 2025 warns that relying on AI for creative tasks leads to “creative homogeneity”—a world where every club looks the same because they are all using the same soulless algorithms. More importantly, it leads to “cognitive disengagement.” When we outsource our thinking to a bot, we lose the authentic “Pioneer” voice that makes this campus special.
Human creativity shouldn’t be a casualty of convenience. The Pioneer Involvement Center needs to stop treating AI as a “future” problem and address the “Wild West” happening in our hallways today. We don’t need more “perfect” bot-generated images; we need the authentic, creative work of our fellow students.
It is time to put the “Human” back in the Pioneer experience.