Alaska has joined more than half of the country in creating artificial intelligence guidance for education as it becomes a larger part of the school day.
The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development presented a set of guidelines on using AI in school districts last week. It includes recommendations and considerations on topics like cultural responsiveness and security when making AI policies.
DEED Computer Science Content Specialist Anthony White was part of an advisory group that drafted the state’s guidelines. He said at a State Board of Education meeting last Thursday the guidelines do more than just advise school districts on AI policy.
“It positions Alaska to be highly competitive for federal AI education grants and other funding opportunities by demonstrating a clear, unified-level strategy,” White said.
He said the guidelines will prepare students and teachers for a world increasingly driven by AI. A nationwide survey of teachers and sixth to twelfth graders from the Center for Democracy and Technology found that a majority of them used AI during last school year.
The guidelines recommend moving beyond bans. Instead, they suggest developing ways to responsibly use generative AI, which includes software like ChatGPT that relies on large language models to create content. A disclaimer in the document states it was written with help from generative AI to “model responsible and ethical engagement with AI technologies.”
Board member Kim Bergey said she is concerned about risks to data security. She wants to make sure more people know how to be safe when using AI.
“I think we need to take a really in-depth look at the personally identifiable information aspect of AI, and not just from the aspect of students, but also from that of parents and for staff that work within districts,” she said.
Bergey said young students may not know how to avoid giving out personal information when using AI. The new guidelines recommend teaching users not to share personal information in order to protect data security.
Districts in Alaska currently have guidelines that range from school level rules that mention AI to a district-wide policy in Fairbanks. The Juneau School District has no district-wide AI policy, but the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé student handbook includes AI in its academic dishonesty policy.
The document is currently available on DEED’s computer science webpage.