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Teachers are pulling up a chair to implement AI in the classroom.
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) announced on Tuesday that it will open a training center in New York City devoted to teaching educators how to responsibly use AI systems in their work.
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Dubbed the National Center for AI Instruction, the training center will open this fall and kick off with a series of workshops on practical uses of AI for K-12 teachers. Representing close to two million members, the AFT is the second-largest teachers' union in the United States. The effort is being launched in partnership with OpenAI, Microsoft, and Anthropic, who have pledged a cumulative $23 million for the hub.
"Now is the time to ensure Al empowers educators, students, and schools," OpenAI wrote in a company blog post published Tuesday, announcing its plan to invest $10 million in the Center over the next five years. "For this to happen, teachers must lead the conversation around how to best harness its potential."
Backlash and acceptance
The rise of generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT in recent years has sparked widespread concern among educators. These systems can write essays and responses to homework questions in seconds, suddenly making it difficult to determine if assignments have been completed by hand or by machine.
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At the same time, however, many teachers have actively embraced the technology: a recent Gallup poll found that six-in-ten teachers used AI at work in the most recent school year, helping them save time on tasks like preparing lesson plans and providing feedback on student assignments. To make educators feel more comfortable about using AI, companies including Anthropic and OpenAI have launched education-specific versions of their chatbots: Claude for Education and ChatGPT Edu, respectively.
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