Microsoft Agrees to AI Safety Standards for US Schools

Microsoft has reached an agreement with teachers' unions in the US to establish a set of AI safety and privacy principles for schools. The National AI Safety & Privacy Standard will be contractually enforceable, giving schools a legal basis to hold Microsoft accountable for safeguarding student data and preventing harm from AI systems.

The standard was developed after months of negotiations between Microsoft and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). The agreement aims to provide clearer protections around student data, AI safety, and transparency in schools. It covers three key areas: privacy, safety, and transparency and control.

Student and educator data will not be used to train AI models or sold or repurposed. Schools will retain control over how data is used, retained, and deleted. AI systems should also avoid harmful or manipulative experiences, protect sensitive information, and remain subject to human oversight.

Microsoft will make these protections available to every school district in the US from November 1st, allowing districts to add them to new or existing Microsoft agreements without renegotiating or renewing their contracts. The agreement builds on earlier work by teachers' unions around technology in schools, including the introduction of 'Commonsense Guardrails for Using Advanced Technology in Schools' in 2024.