Artificial Intelligence Alters Education Landscape, Yet Few Work Agreements Adapt

In recent times, contract negotiations in various school districts across the United States have hit a snag, with the issue of Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the forefront. This is evident in districts like Ithaca, NY, and Orange County, FL, where negotiations have stalled over AI concerns.

One such concern is the potential use of AI for surveillance and camera systems in schools. Adam Aguilera, a middle-grades English/language arts teacher, has voiced his apprehensions about this, fearing a breach of privacy and potential misuse of the technology.

However, it appears that U.S. school districts have yet to establish their own commissions to coordinate AI-related labor issues on a large scale in recent years.

On a positive note, some districts are taking proactive steps. The Rockdale 84 district in Illinois, for instance, has established a four-person committee of union and district representatives to advise the school board on both the adoption of any AI tools and the training teachers need to use them effectively.

In a similar vein, the teacher's union in Ithaca, NY, has requested language in the contract barring the district from using generative AI to replace teacher or staff positions.

The National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have also taken steps to guide teachers on AI use. Both organisations have adopted initial guidelines for teachers on using AI, aiming to provide a framework for responsible integration of the technology in educational settings.

It's worth noting that most public school teachers are unionized, which means these issues are of significant importance to a large portion of the teaching workforce.

St. Tammany's contract, for example, lays out teacher privacy protections and student discipline procedures for using a teacher's likeness. The district in Louisiana has also adopted one of the nation's first contracts dealing with nonconsensual digital manipulation and deepfakes.

However, the picture of contract language regarding AI is still in its early stages. Relatively few districts have established clear and comprehensive AI policies for teachers, and little more than 1 in 10 school districts have set policies on how teachers should use AI.

Experts like Osborn have pointed out that AI is an emerging crisis in education, and teachers need to think more broadly about how AI is changing teaching and learning. In response, the NEA has voted to develop model collective bargaining language on AI in schools.

Moreover, the AFT held a symposium on AI teacher workforce and contract issues in July, further highlighting the importance of addressing these issues in the educational sector.

As the use of AI continues to evolve, it's clear that school districts and teachers' unions will need to work together to ensure that the technology is integrated responsibly, with a focus on privacy, training, and the preservation of traditional teaching roles.

Artificial Intelligence Alters Education Landscape, Yet Few Work Agreements Adapt