Microsoft Leads Tech Giants on Sweeping AI Privacy Rules for US Schools

Microsoft has committed to sweeping AI privacy rules for students in schools across the United States. The agreement, negotiated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), sets a high bar for child privacy and AI safety. Microsoft will not use student or educator data to train its AI systems, except for narrow exceptions related to protecting students.

The AFT has hailed the agreement as an 'industry standard' that could set a precedent for other tech giants. The agreement prohibits using AI companions or features designed to foster emotional attachment or dependency and requires companies to disclose how their tools work in plain language.

Brad Smith, Microsoft's vice chair and president, said the company will extend this agreement to every school district across the country starting November 1. AFT President Randi Weingarten called it an 'important step' towards setting an industry standard for AI safety and privacy in schools.

Other leading AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, have expressed interest in signing similar agreements with the AFT. However, Google has not confirmed whether it will follow suit. The country's two largest school districts, New York City and Los Angeles, have put a moratorium on student use of AI for one year to study its incorporation into education.

Experts say the new standards could help shape the conversation between schools and AI providers, reducing pressure on individual school districts to negotiate with large tech companies. Microsoft's commitment is seen as a shift in the burden of protecting student privacy from parents, students, and schools to tech companies themselves.