House Bill 3512<\/a>, requires state and local government employees, including designated school district staff, to complete AI training courses.<\/p>\nBut there are no technology guardrails specific to education, and skeptics in both\u00a0parties have expressed concerns over how AI will be used in Texas public schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Have lawmakers proposed limits on AI in schools?<\/p>\n
Sen. Mayes\u00a0Middleton, R-Galveston,\u00a0filed a bill in the last legislative session\u00a0that would prohibit public educators\u00a0\u2014 at both school districts and charters\u00a0\u2014 from using AI to provide instruction to students. While the bill never made it out of its Senate committee, conversations among legislators have continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n
During a recent Texas House Public Education Committee hearing,\u00a0Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, said Texas needs AI protections sooner rather than later to safeguard children in schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Middleton is a Republican candidate in the Texas Attorney General race, and\u00a0Hinojosa is a Democrat running against Gov. Greg Abbott\u00a0this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Renzo Soto, the deputy director for education and workforce policy for Texas 2036, a nonpartisan public policy think tank, presented before the House education committee in May. He said districts are still working to understand AI requirements included in new laws, because the existing AI frameworks are so broad.<\/p>\n
Resources to navigate these requirements and translate them to the classroom are also lacking, he explained. Other states have already fleshed out this \u201ctranslation,\u201d he said, and his team believes interpreting AI limits is the next step for Texas as educators work to safely and effectively use the new technology.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen how this technology can be transformative in a lot of other industries, but in the context of our classrooms, and in relation to the learning of our students, it is definitely more sensitive,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have to be protective of our students and make sure that not only is this beneficial to their learning in the long term, but that it is safe, that it’s secure and that the adults around them are teaching them to responsibly engage with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
AI technology has the ability to advance students’ learning,\u00a0but Soto recommended new policies that help districts sort through available products to understand which will be most effective. A guide to AI tools and how to implement them would remove unknowns for district administrators, who are not usually experts in AI.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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This would also help districts respond quickly to the rapidly changing technology landscape and maintain their cybersecurity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Legislators should also consider mandating training to help students better understand how to use AI responsibly,\u00a0Soto said.<\/p>\n
Have a question about education? Submit it below, and\u00a0one of our reporters will look into it.<\/p>\n
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