AFT Launches $23 Million AI Training for 400,000 Educators as Big Tech Funding Draws Fire
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 5
AFT Launches $23 Million AI Training for 400,000 Educators as Big Tech Funding Draws Fire
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 5
Summary
$23 million from Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic is backing the American Federation of Teachers’ plan to train 400,000 educators over five years through its AI academy.
The program aims to fill a guidance gap as AI spreads through schools: only about 4 in 10 teachers report AI training at school, while roughly half say guidance is absent or unclear.
Critics say the union-backed academy could legitimize and entrench tech products in classrooms, echoing earlier school-market playbooks that traded free training for influence and future customers.
AFT says companies cannot promote products in sessions and is pressing for a school AI safety and privacy standard, while warning it could walk away if the firms do not deliver.
Teachers attending the training described AI as both useful and risky—helping with lesson adaptation and practice materials, but also raising fears about cheating, bias, overreliance and the teacher’s future role.