Microsoft Introduces Strict AI Guardrails for US Schools Amid Growing Backlash
Microsoft has introduced strict AI guardrails for US schools amid growing backlash against AI and screen time. The company signed an agreement last week with the country's second-largest teachers' union, which prohibits the use of AI companions or features that foster emotional attachment or dependency.
The standards are legally binding and require third-party audits to check compliance. Microsoft has also agreed not to use student or educator data to train AI systems, apart from a narrow exception for data that could help protect students. The company says it will provide transparency measures, requiring it to explain in plain language how its tools work and what data they collect.
The agreement applies to Microsoft school contracts across the US from November 1. This move comes as European governments begin drawing limits around younger pupils' use of generative AI.
OpenAI and Anthropic are also in talks with the teachers union, which welcomed the Microsoft agreement. However, experts warn that stronger safeguards should not automatically be interpreted as an endorsement of greater AI use in schools.