Education technology

The next major artificial intelligence (AI) battleground is the classroom, as Google, Microsoft and Anthropic race to make their tools the chatbots of choice for teachers and students.  After early resistance, the floodgates are opening. When students began using ChatGPT for homework in late 2022, chatbots were widely seen as cheating tools to be banned or blocked.

The rapid acceleration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the education system is creating new opportunities that could transform assessments, personalize learning, and support instruction. It also raises uncertainty and concerns about policies that would impact professional development, access and equity, data privacy, and student safety.

A total of 484 student households in Grant County (NM) are receiving high-speed internet, thanks to a New Mexico Student Connect grant program designed to provide broadband access to rural students across New Mexico. The Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) joined TWN Communications, state leaders, and local officials at Silver High School to celebrate the launch of a $1.5 million Student Connect grant project connecting rural students and school staff in Silver City.

In November 2022, generative artificial intelligence (AI) burst into everyday life in homes, classrooms, workplaces, and communities. For education, the rapid acceleration of this technology provided new opportunities that could transform assessments, personalize learning, and support instruction, but it also raised uncertainty and concerns about policies that would impact professional development, access and equity, data privacy, and student safety.

Generative artificial intelligence draws on vast troves of data to create new content that mimics human forms of thinking, processing, and creation. Alongside an unprecedented rate of adoption across all sectors, GenAI is reshaping education systems in unprecedented ways. The technology is a double-edged sword, creating tremendous opportunities but also posing considerable risks and challenges for schools. 5 questions state boards of education should ask about GenAI

Transparency about edtech products that incorporate AI can help school administrators select systems that will provide them with the functionality they need; ensure that those systems are suited for their contexts; identify potential risks and ways to mitigate them; and push the field at large toward improved development practices, outcomes, equity, and more.

Last month, digital divide researchers convened at two major events: the Digital Access Research Forum and the Research Conference on Communications, Information and Internet Policy (better known as TPRC).

The Center for Democracy & Technology’s Hand in Hand: Schools’ Embrace of AI Connected to Increased Risks to Students examines the frequency and variety of artificial intelligence use in educational settings in the 2024-25 school year. CDT finds that teachers and students are using AI tools more than ever before.

A broad coalition of philanthropic leaders announced Humanity AI, a $500 million five-year initiative dedicated to making sure people have a stake in the future of artificial intelligence (AI). As part of Humanity AI, ten of the nation’s most dynamic foundations supporting the arts, labor and work, democracy, education, and security will drive new investments toward establishing a people-driven future where AI delivers for humanity, strengthens communities, and enhances human creativity.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has continued to alter the educational experiences of teachers, students, and parents during the 2024-25 school year. The frequency and variety of AI uses continues to grow; at the same time, the increased use of AI in educational settings is correlated with heightened risks to students. The following section details the current status of AI use in schools along with four emerging risks associated with this technology, all of which increase the more that a school uses AI: