My recent work has very much deepened my understanding of just how much is happening at the intersection of AI and education. That experience inspired me to start curating weekly updates to help others make sense of the rapid developments in this space. There’s a lot of noise, and my goal is to surface what’s most relevant, actionable, or thought-provoking.
Here is what stood out this week.
What’s Top of Mind for AI and Education: AFT Launches $23 Million National AI Academy with Big Tech Partners
Big news this week is the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) emmassing 23 million dollars to support teacher training in AI fluency. OpenAI among others have bought in.
You can listen to the OpenAI blog post here. And you can read the AFT press release at https://www.aft.org/press-release/aft-launch-national-academy-ai-instruction-microsoft-openai-anthropic-and-united
In a nutshell the AFT launch of this National AI Acdemy is a sizeable investment to creaste some degree of traction with teacehers and their use of AI. While the detials are still emerging as to how and to what level of depth this new “academy” will achieve, it is a positioning with big-tech partners that hasn’t necessarily been achieved before.
An important note on this, the following are what I have been using recently to help define AI literacy, define AI fluency, and define AI leadership.
AI Literacy is the foundational level — understanding what AI is, how it works at a basic level, and being able to recognize AI applications in daily life. This includes knowing common AI terminology, understanding basic capabilities and limitations, and having awareness of ethical considerations.It’s similar to digital literacy but focused specifically on artificial intelligence.
AI Fluency goes deeper, involving the ability to effectively use AI tools and integrate them into workflows. Someone with AI fluency can prompt AI systems effectively, understand when and how to apply different AI solutions to problems, and adapt their approach based on AI outputs. At this stage users are comfortable working with AI as a collaborative tool and understand its practical applications across various domains.
AI Leadership encompasses strategic thinking about AI’s role in organizations and society. AI leaders can make informed decisions about AI adoption, understand the broader implications of AI implementation, guide others in AI use, and navigate the complex ethical, legal, and business considerations around AI deployment. At this stage users are able to envision how AI can transform processes, industries, or societal functions.
AI in Education updates from the United States: New Gallup Study says 60% of Teachers Use AI, Save Nearly 6 Hours Weekly
A new article from The 74, titled “Survey: 60% of Teachers Used AI This Year and Saved up to 6 Hours of Work a Week” was making the rounds this week. The article shares data from a Gallup report of a survey including data from over 2,000 U.S. public school teachers. The major findings suggest that they use artificial intelligence tools to create worksheets, modify student materials, create assessments, and more. Teachers who engage with AI tools more frequently report greater time savings, the report sharing that weekly AI users save an average of 5.9 hours each week, twice as much time as those who only use AI monthly (2.9 hours per week). Access the report at https://www.gallup.com/analytics/659819/k-12-teacher-research.aspx and the article from The 74 at https://www.the74million.org/article/survey-60-of-teachers-used-ai-this-year-and-saved-up-to-6-hours-of-work-a-week/.
AI in Education updates from the UK
This week the European EdTech Alliance launched their EdTech Funding Database with support from the Jacobs foundation. The Alliances is trying to make it easier for European EdTech organizations, particularly early-stage products and teams, to find opportunities for funding. While this tool is only available to organisations listed on the Edtech Organization Map the move to help developers find funding is something to be aware of. You can read more about the map and funding opportunities at https://www.edtechmap.eu/
AI in Education updates from Australia
At the end of June, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency shared a blueprint for research training with Generative AI. This includes guidance for using generative AI in research that includes suggestions for AI agreements, creates a call to action for discipline-specific training for supervisors of research and the use of generative AI, training and shared expectations for data security, and more. Read more and access the blueprint at https://www.teqsa.gov.au/about-us/news-and-events/latest-news/gen-ai-strategies-research-training.
AI in Education updates from Africa
ECOWAS Parliamentarians have called for a regional legal and ethical framework tailored to AI (particularly for educational applications) to ensure alignment with African values and foster local innovation. Proposing inclusive consultations, leaders want to prioritize youth and women in informing AI/edtech strategies and ensure these technologies meet diverse regional needs. While policies exist (e.g., Nigeria’s 2010 ICT policy), implementation remains weak due to inadequate infrastructure, poor teacher training, unclear goals and measurable outcomes, and insufficient funding. Read more at https://guardian.ng/news/nigeria/national/ecowas-parliament-seeks-regional-ai-framework-says-edtech-now-a-necessity
AI in Education updates from Asia & South America: BRICS Nations Call for AI Governance Framework
The BRICS is a group formed by eleven countries: Brasil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran. It serves as a political and diplomatic coordination forum for countries from the Global South and for coordination in the most diverse areas. On July 7th, BRICS Leaders’ published a joint statement on The Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence. This statement urged AI governance to be grounded in the UN Charter, respect for national sovereignty, and principles of safety, transparency, data protection, and digital inclusion.
I appreciated this part of their released statement, “AI is viewed as essential to achieving sustainable development goals.”
Read the statement online at https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2142786
Remember that the future of education is being shaped now and we need more voices that are informed, thoughtful, and equity-driven. Subscribe to Jody’s newsletter to get weekly updates delivered right to your in-box at https://jodybritten.medium.com/subscribe.
