President Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday that aims to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into America’s classrooms.
“The basic idea of this executive order is to ensure that we properly train the workforce of the future by ensuring that school children, young Americans, are adequately trained in AI tools, so that they can be competitive in the economy years from now into the future, as AI becomes a bigger and bigger deal,” said Will Scharf, White House staff secretary.
Although the exact text of the order has not been released, The Washington Post reported on a pre-decisional draft that said the president wants schools to partner with the private sector to implement the technology into school programs.
The order would instruct Education Secretary Linda McMahon to prioritize federal funds for training teachers and administrators in how to use AI for their benefit but also to incorporate it into all subjects.
“AI is where it seems to be at,” Trump said during the signing.
An AI education task force would be created to encourage federal agencies to partner with the private sector with the goal of teaching students “foundational AI literacy and critical thinking skills,” according to the Post.
AI has taken classrooms by storm over the last few years, with both benefits and risks to educators and students.
Schools have already begun partnering with organizations to teach educators and students how to use AI responsibly.
Downsides to the technology include concerns of cheating and bullying, along with ethical worries.
Trump also signed an executive order in January taking away some regulations from the AI industry and investing in AI data centers.
—Updated at 5:39 p.m. EDT
