Artificial intelligence conjures up many feelings. For some, AI technology is a doomsday scenario: killer robots, job loss, and data centers. Yet for others, it’s the promise of utopia: cures for cancer, safer communities, and an economic boom.
Call me a skeptic about AI ushering in a future free from irreversible medical issues and a simpler life where people want for nothing. But for the sake of argument, let’s assume that those goals are achievable.
- Seemingly incurable diseases will not be defeated by AI unless there are researchers and medical professionals who can use this tool to understand and administer medical therapies.
- AI-powered home security systems will not protect you without installers who can wire your house and program the software appropriately.
- Any future AI-driven economic boom will only benefit the mega-rich unless all Americans understand how to utilize this emerging technology.
Putting aside my AI skepticism, we must do a much better job preparing students for a future where artificial intelligence is part of our daily lives.
Some proponents of AI argue that it can help students learn in a manner that is unique to each child. They will argue that it can speed up learning, meaning that by the time a student graduates, they will be more advanced than kids who graduated a few years earlier. They will also argue that it can reduce distractions in classroom settings.
Maybe. Maybe not.
But we absolutely do know that some kids will try to use AI to cheat on a test or paper – some schools have even started moving back to handwritten tests and essays to be sure there was no AI “help.” We know that AI programs have generated deepfakes of students and teachers that have been used to bully and intimidate. We know that students’ and families’ personal information and data can be left unprotected by the mega-corporations that license this software.
All of this is happening at a time when the federal government seems unwilling to address these questions head-on. While DC politicians may choose to stick their heads in the sand, the PA House of Representatives has a package of legislation that would regulate artificial intelligence in our schools.
Rep. Brandon Dukes (D-Butler) has a bill to mandate that every school district has an AI policy, ensuring teachers’ and students’ privacy is protected and making sure students are not using AI to cheat.
Rep. Melissa Shusterman (D-Chester) wrote legislation to prohibit schools from using AI chatbots for mental and behavioral health services. She makes it clear that our kids’ mental health should be handled by trained, human professionals.
Rep. Chris Pielli (D-Chester) wants to create a grant program for schools to implement professional development to help teachers learn how to effectively incorporate AI in the classroom.
Finally, my bill would protect kids and taxpayers and make it easier for school districts and public charter schools to acquire only the safest and most ethical AI education programs.
Maybe AI is truly the most transformative development since the internet, and maybe AI can be the most destructive force since the atom bomb. The truth is probably somewhere in between.
Regardless, Pennsylvania must do two things well: ensure all students have access to age- and curriculum-appropriate AI technology, taught by a well-trained – and human – teacher, and protect them from bad actors looking to steal their privacy or utilize their information for inappropriate reasons.
Once again, the PA State House is pushing an agenda that protects our students, invests in their future, and empowers teachers, all while making sure kids in every school and every community get the best education possible.
State Rep. Peter Schweyer represents Pennsylvania’s 134th Legislative District, serving parts of the City of Allentown. A lifelong Allentown resident, he serves as Majority Chairman of the House Education Committee, focusing on public school funding equity, student mental health, and workforce development.
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