Microsoft Teams with Teachers' Unions on Nationwide AI Safety Standard

Two national teachers unions and Microsoft have created a new National AI Safety and Privacy Standard to protect students, educators, and families from potential harm caused by artificial intelligence in schools.

The standard, announced on September 9, ensures that tech companies cannot use student data to train AI without explicit consent. It also prohibits tracking students, requires human oversight of AI decisions, and demands transparency and clear explanations from technology providers about how their tools work.

U.S. school districts can incorporate the protections into their Microsoft customer agreements, making them contractually enforceable. The agreement comes after New York City Public Schools banned AI and screens in its classrooms.

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten praised the agreement as a 'hard-fought, iron-clad privacy agreement with real teeth that protects students and families.' Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith added that the standard sets a high bar for child privacy and AI safety.