Microsoft Offers Schools Enforceable AI Guardrails

New York City’s decision to pause most student use of generative artificial intelligence through eighth grade put one side of the school AI debate in stark relief. Now Microsoft and the American Federation of Teachers are advancing a different answer. They are putting vendor promises into contracts that schools can enforce.The AFT, its New York City affiliate the United Federation of Teachers, and Microsoft have negotiated what they call an AI Safety and Privacy Standard for Schools. Microsoft says it will take effect on November 1 for every United States school district that already has a contract with the company.Districts will not have to wait until renewal or opt in. Microsoft President Brad Smith told me that “a school district doesn’t need to do anything to benefit from them.” Independent schools with Microsoft contracts will be covered in the same way.This is not a federal standard, and it does not bind the wider AI industry. But it may still change the conversation schools have with AI providers.The Contract Is The Interesting PartI have read plenty of school AI policies containing words such as safe, responsible, and transparent. Most are written for the people inside the school. They tell teachers what they can enter into a chatbot or tell students when AI use is allowed.They do not always say much about the company on the other side of the screen.This agreement turns the focus around. Instead of starting with what a teacher may type into a tool, it starts with what Microsoft may do with the information it receives.The company says it will not use student or educator data to train AI systems, apart from a narrow exception connected to safety and security. It says that data cannot be sold, used for advertising or used to build other products.The agreement also addresses profiling, biometric information and memory features. It requires human involvement in important decisions and rules out AI companion products. Microsoft would have to report a data...