Microsoft Agrees to Student Privacy Protections Amid Growing Backlash Against Big Tech

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and Microsoft have reached an agreement to protect student privacy when using artificial intelligence in schools.

The standard bars Microsoft from tracking students and prohibits its AI from making decisions in schools without human oversight.

AFT President Randi Weingarten described the agreement as 'the first of its kind' and said it fills a void left by the absence of meaningful federal and state regulations on AI in schools.

Microsoft plans to make the protections available to every school district in the U.S. beginning on November 1, allowing districts to add them to new or existing customer agreements without renegotiating or renewing their contracts.