OSTP, Education Department Urged to Develop Education-Related AI Guidance

The need for student civil rights protection remains even with the release of the White House’s Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, according to 19 education technology policy and advocacy groups. 

In a letter to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Department of Education, the groups highlighted the need for additional guidance centering on the use of AI for online monitoring, content filtering and other school-related activities, clarifying that such AI-enabled applications must comply with student civil rights laws, StateScoop reported.

The blueprint, published by the in October 2022, provides guidance in designing, using and deploying automated systems for various applications, including teaching and learning. 

The groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Association of School Librarians, the American Library Association and the National Center for Learning Disabilities, cited in the letter a Center for Democracy and Technology research revealing that some schools monitor students’ personal devices and the AI technology use resulted in exposing some students’ gender identity. 

The groups noted that revealing such data and other demographic information may impact members of marginalized communities.