Major US teachers union teams up with AI giants

The second biggest teachers union in the United States unveiled a groundbreaking partnership Tuesday with AI powerhouses Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic to develop a comprehensive training program helping educators master artificial intelligence.

"Teachers are facing huge challenges, which include navigating AI wisely, ethically and safely," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers during a press conference in New York.

"In the absence of rules of the game and guardrails (from the US government)...we are working with these partners so that they understand the commitment we have to our students," she added. 

The AFT represents 1.8 million members across the United States, from kindergarten through high school.

The announcement came as generative AI has already begun reshaping education, with students using tools like ChatGPT for everything from essay writing to homework help. 

Meanwhile, teachers grapple with questions about academic integrity, plagiarism, and how to adapt traditional teaching methods.

The AI giants are investing a total of $23 million in creating a New York training center to guide teachers through generative AI learning. 

Microsoft is contributing $12.5 million, OpenAI $10 million, and Anthropic $500,000. 

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The five-year initiative won't develop new AI interfaces but intends to familiarize teachers with existing tools.

"What we're saying to the world and to teachers across the country is you now have a place, you now have a home, a place where you can come and co-create and understand how to harness this tool to make your classroom the best classroom it possibly can be," said Gerry Petrella, Microsoft's general manager for US public policy.

The National Academy for AI Teaching will launch its training program this fall, aiming to serve 400,000 people over five years. 

Microsoft staff are already participating in a tech refresher session this week. 

AFT affiliates include the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), which represents about 200,000 New York teachers.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew drew parallels between AI and social media, which generated excitement at launch but proved to be "a dumpster fire," in his view. 

"We're all very skeptical, but we also are very hopeful," he added.

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