Microsoft Signs AI Privacy Agreement with US Teachers Unions Amid NYC Ban

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's recent ban on AI in public school students up to eighth grade has prompted Microsoft to sign a legally binding AI privacy agreement with two of the largest teachers unions in the US.

The National AI Safety & Privacy Standard, announced on September 9 by Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten, and United Federation of Teachers (UFT) President Michael Mulgrew, prohibits Microsoft from using student or teacher data to train its AI models.

The agreement also bars the company from tracking students and allowing AI to make high-risk decisions without human review. The standard lists 10 enforceable protections, including requiring Microsoft to explain in plain language how its tools work and report data breaches within 72 hours.

Weingarten called it an 'iron-clad privacy agreement with real teeth,' needed because no one else, including the federal government, has stepped up to do the real work. The terms will cover every district Microsoft works with from November 1.