United Auto Workers Local 4811, a union representing 48,000 student employees, postdocs and academic researchers across the UC system,\u00a0filed an unfair practice charge against the university in January\u00a0targeting BearGPT,\u00a0an AI tool available for staff on UC Berkeley\u2019s human resources website.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to the charge, BearGPT falsely told union members that they didn\u2019t have a vote on the amount of dues they pay as a union member, and that some workplace benefits were available only for union members.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The charge also claims that BearGPT\u2019s responses to user prompts were widely circulated to union members without consulting the union,\u00a0which the union claims violates the California labor code.<\/p>\n
Eugene Whitlock, associate vice chancellor and chief people officer, said these statements were made by a previous version of BearGPT and that the model can make mistakes.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike all large language models, it can sometimes generate inaccurate information, and reported issues are reviewed,\u201d Whitlock said in an email. \u201cThe tool provides responses only when prompted, does not broadcast communications, and is intended strictly as a productivity aid rather than a substitute for official communications, including labor-related communications.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whitlock added that the updated model, which has been in use since early 2026, includes restrictions on responses involving unions.<\/p>\n
According to BearGPT\u2019s website, the service is made up of many individual AI assistants backed by a large language model. According to a form that organizations can use to make their own AI assistants, BearGPT can be fed specific websites and a Google Drive folder to build its knowledge base for user inquiries.<\/p>\n
According to the UC Berkeley Human Resources website, BearGPT\u2019s assistant uses \u201ctraining on extensive public-facing university information\u201d to answer campus-specific questions.<\/p>\n
Iris Rosenblum-Sellers, the academic student employee unit chair for UAW 4811, says that campus should notify students that they received incorrect information.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think number one would be to cease and desist from all attempts to deter or discourage union membership,\u201d Rosenblum-Sellers said. \u201cYou don\u2019t want people going around believing this stuff because management told them that they wouldn\u2019t have a vote on how much dues were (if they changed).\u201d<\/p>\n