The North Carolina Senate has passed a bill aimed at regulating the use of artificial intelligence in schools, with a focus on responsible use and digital safety. The bill, which received unanimous bipartisan support, would overhaul current standards for AI in schools and provide training for teachers and administrators.

Regulating AI in Education

The bill would require the Department of Public Instruction to partner with NC State University’s Friday Institute for Educational Innovation to provide training on AI fundamentals, responsible instructional use of AI, and data privacy and security. The training would be available to schools by June 30, 2027, and educators would have a year to complete the professional development training.

The bill also calls for the State Board of Education to revise the mandated computer science education for grades K-12 to include AI literacy and update course lists accordingly. The change would come at a time when universities are scrambling to alter their approach to computer science education as companies like Microsoft and Amazon lay off employees whose primary jobs can now be accomplished by bots.

AI Tool Evaluation Framework

The bill requires the Department of Public Instruction to establish and maintain a framework for evaluating generative artificial intelligence-powered educational tools. The framework would address student data privacy, security, and transparency, as well as alignment with the standard course of study and accessibility for all students.

Original reporting: Carolina Public Press — read the source article.