*US Department of Education AI Policy Landscape

Student Population : 49,400,000

Official Policies

UPDATE (November 2024): The USDoE’s Office of Educational Technology’s newest resource is a 79-page document called “Empowering Education Leaders: A Toolkit for Safe, Ethical, and Equitable AI Integration”. The document, directed toward educators, district leaders, and parents, and demonstrates the USDoE’s continued dedication to supporting the educational community to navigate the age of Artificial Intelligence.

The USDoE’s Office of Educational Technology released a new 49-page resource called “Designing for Education with Artificial Intelligence: An Essential Guide for Developers”, a foundational document in US AI education guidance with five recommendations for developers responsible for creating AI tools for use in educational settings.

The report was released alongside a webinar, hosted by the USDoE, on July 8th, 2024.

On January 29th, 2024, President Biden announced an update to his October 2023 Executive Order, which included a statement that by October 2024, the Department of Education will “develop guidance on safe, responsible, and nondiscriminatory use of AI in education”.

In May 2023, the US Dept. of Education announced the release a 70-page report called “AI and the Future of Teaching and Learning”, which suggested the following steps:

Emphasize Humans-in-the-Loop
Align AI Models to a Shared Vision for Education
Design AI Using Modern Learning Principles
Prioritize Strengthening Trust
Inform and Involve Educators
Focus R&D on Addressing Context and Enhancing Trust and Safety
Develop Education-specific Guidelines and Guardrails

More recently, in October 2023, President Biden included AI in Education in an Executive Order, committing himself to “Shape AI’s potential to transform education by creating resources to support educators deploying AI-enabled educational tools, such as personalized tutoring in schools”.

In December 2023, the National Science Foundation (NSF) launched the EducateAI Initiative, with aims ” to enable educators to make high-quality, audience-appropriate artificial intelligence educational experiences available nationwide to K-12, community college, four-year college and graduate students, as well as adults interested in formal training in AI”.

In the News

In October 2023, Education Technology Industry’s Principles for the Future of AI in Education released a document with 7 “Principles for AI in Education”, which provide “a framework for how we can look to the future of implementing AI technologies in a purpose-driven, transparent, and equitable manner”.