National teachers union and Microsoft announce AI plan to protect student privacy
The agreement would prevent Microsoft from selling student and teacher data or using it for advertising.
The American Federation of Teachers and Microsoft in September reached an agreement to adopt privacy standards for the use of artificial intelligence in schools.
Billed as a first-of-its-kind agreement by the AFT, the country’s second-largest teachers union, the new set of standards are aimed at protecting personal information amid students’ growing use of artificial intelligence such as chatbots.
The agreement includes 10 legally enforceable guardrails and stipulates that Microsoft will not use student or teacher data to train AI models, unless the data is needed to protect students. It also stipulates that Microsoft cannot sell the data or use it for advertising or product development.
“We have forged a hard-fought, iron-clad privacy agreement with real teeth that protects students and families, because no one else, including the federal government, has stepped up to do the real work,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a Sept. 9 press release. “We can get angrier and angrier, or we can act decisively; anything less than legally enforceable provisions is simply a wish list.”
AFT officials noted agreement on the privacy plan has been reached in the absence of federal legislation regulating artificial intelligence in schools, leaving a patchwork of state and local laws to cover it. Los Angeles, for example, largely banned public school students in all grades from using AI in school this year. New York City is limiting artificial intelligence use for students in public elementary and middle schools.
Parents across the country have urged greater regulation around artificial intelligence and children, often citing concerns that companies would collect sensitive student data and sell it to third parties.
In May, Weingarten called for a screen ban for all students in pre-K through second grade and an end to “student-facing AI in elementary schools.” She also advocated for a ban on social companion chatbots for students under the age of 16.
“We are at a crossroads that will define the future of work and society,” Weingarten said during a May 27 speech. “Without proper oversight and strong guardrails, there will be real dangers to our safety and privacy, to the climate and the very fabric of society.”
Parents largely back stricter regulations around AI in schools, according to a February survey by Echelon Insights on behalf of the nonprofit advocacy group National Parents Union. In that survey, 65% of parents said more needs to be done to protect students’ personal data. Nearly eight in 10 parents, 79%, said minors should be required to get permission from a parent before using AI chatbots.
Other tech companies are reportedly also looking into privacy agreements with the AFT, including OpenAI and Anthropic, the Associated Press reported. The AP noted Google has not said whether it is pursuing something similar.
