Teachers, One of the Largest US Labor Unions With Roughly 1.8 Million Members, Is Offering AI Training to Educators Through Its National

The program, launched last year, aims to train 400,000 educators over five years, with in-person and virtual sessions across the country. In New York City, high school teacher Darius Saczuk, who teaches English as a new language at Long Island City High School in Queens, attended a training session in a Manhattan conference room to learn how to use AI and prevent students from outsourcing their thinking to it. "It's killing our jobs, it's changing our society, it's replacing humans, Saczuk said.

"In order to retain my job, I need to know how to use AI because it's not going away. The partnership has stirred controversy. Critics like Audrey Watters, author of Teaching Machines: The History of Personalized Learning, argue the academy pushes AI into classrooms and hands political power to big tech.

"It's really dangerous for educators to partner with companies that seem opposed to the goal of education, she said. Supporters, including AFT President Randi Weingarten, call teaching educators about AI a "moral imperative" that empowers teachers to make informed decisions. "There was no fairy godmother philanthropist that was sprinkling millions of dollars on us, Weingarten said.

"I am not promoting the use of AI. Educators need to know the tool. Microsoft, contributing $12.5m, the largest share, said the goal is to give educators a voice in shaping AI products.

"By partnering with teachers' unions, we believe we can learn directly from teachers on what they want and need in their classroom, said Justin Spelhaug, leader of Microsoft's education, workforce, and nonprofit programs. The training comes amid a lack of official guidance: a Pew Research Center survey found more than half of polled teens use AI for schoolwork, and nearly six in 10 think AI cheating is regular at their schools. An NPR/Ipsos poll found only about four in 10 teachers say their schools offer AI-related training, and about half say their school hasn't offered any guidance.

Tech leaders have touted AI's benefits, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman envisioning "virtual tutors" for children, and OpenAI President Greg Brockman saying AI could replicate meaningful teacher experiences. But Watters said AI's classroom presence is not inevitable. "The industry would very much like us to believe that it's not going away, she said.

"But the future is unwritten. Experts note a lack of research proving AI improves learning outcomes.