AI & Education

From the Future of Privacy Forum Newsletter, 5/7/2024

“Every tech tool in the classroom should be ruthlessly evaluated,” a recent New York Times op-ed argued, noting that while it is “unrealistic” and “not ideal” to get rid of educational technology altogether, “we’re currently failing too many children by letting it run rampant.”

The author outlines a series of recommendations, starting with privacy protections and better evaluation. 

What does better evaluation look like, especially as the use of generative AI tools has proliferated? FPF’s new checklist and an accompanying policy brief are designed to help schools vet generative AI tools for legal compliance. As the use of these tools continues to proliferate, it is critical for school leaders to understand exactly how existing federal and state student privacy laws such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) apply to the complexities of machine learning systems in order to protect student privacy. If you are grappling with how to vet these tools in your school or district (or your Edtech company would like to better understand what schools are looking for), I hope you will download both resources.

A few other recent AI and education-related developments that we’re keeping an eye on:

• AI Tools Can Be a “Game Changer” For Students with Special Needs: This Hechinger Report op-ed makes a compelling case for the importance of developing AI tools that can benefit all learners, including blind, deaf, and very young students. These students are often unable to use digital learning materials, which rely heavily on visuals and text, independently, but “AI technology has the potential for transformative change.”
• ChatGPT’s Latest Update: Open AI announced on April 1 its plans to remove the need to create an account or log in when accessing its free and widely used AI chatbot, ChatGPT. While there are some content and functionality limitations, allowing users to immediately start chatting with ChatGPT - without entering their age, or getting parental permission - creates real risks for young people. The only guidance around minimum age now appears in OpenAI’s terms of use, which notes that users must be at least 13 years old, and that users under 18 must have a parent or legal guardian’s permission.
• MIT on AI & K-12 Education: What does one of the leading science and technology research universities in the world think of the adoption of generative AI in schools? The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently published its thoughts, concerns, and a recommended roadmap for the adoption of AI in schools, including that schools “pursue considered, limited experimentation without making undue pedagogical or financial commitments,” and that “educators should facilitate access to AI with thoughtful guardrails.”