NYC To Use AI To Help Train Teachers

Well, if you thought the debate over AI in schools was going to be about calculators and grading software, buckle up — because the American Federation of Teachers just kicked things into high gear.

Earlier this month, about 200 New York City teachers gathered at their union headquarters for what could only be described as a test drive of the future: using AI chatbots to write lesson plans, draft emails, and (you guessed it) shape how students are taught about some of the most contentious issues of our time.

Here’s the headline grabber: The AFT just landed a jaw-dropping $23 million from OpenAI, Microsoft, and Anthropic to open a new National Academy for AI Instruction in downtown Manhattan.

That’s not chump change. Microsoft alone is pumping in $12.5 million over five years, OpenAI is throwing down $10 million, and Anthropic chipped in $500,000 for year one.

The goal? In union boss Randi Weingarten’s words, it’s to create “an innovative new training space where school staff and teachers will learn not just about how AI works, but how to use it wisely, safely and ethically.”

But here’s where things get spicy. One of the tools on display at the July 7 workshop was Khan Academy’s Khanmigo chatbot — which, as The Daily Wire discovered in their testing, has plenty of “opinions.” When asked about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Khanmigo cheerfully replied that DEI is “important because it helps make sure everyone feels welcome.”

On gender-affirming care for kids? The chatbot flatly stated it “can be life-saving.” On the term “illegal aliens”? The bot gently corrected that it “can sound hurtful” and suggested using “undocumented immigrants” instead. And when asked about mass deportation? Khanmigo warned it would “break up families, hurt communities,” and cost a fortune.

So yes — this is about more than just lesson plans. This is about AI-powered content that could end up shaping how your kids learn about politics, identity, immigration, and more.

And the timing? Fascinating. While the AFT rolls out its AI-powered vision for education, reports suggest the White House is preparing an executive order to crack down on so-called “woke AI models.” Translation: the culture war over classrooms is about to collide head-on with the culture war over algorithms.