Microsoft, OpenAI & Anthropic Join AFT to Train Teachers in AI

• EdTech collaboration: Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic partner with AFT to train teachers in AI use.
• Massive outreach: Program aims to reach 50,000 educators across the U.S. by 2025.
• Future-ready teaching: Focus on integrating AI tools like ChatGPT into classroom practice.

In a groundbreaking effort to modernize education with artificial intelligence, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic are working with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) to help train thousands of educators on how to best use AI tools effectively in the classroom.

The partnership is aiming to reach over 50,000 teachers in the United States by the summer of 2025, by providing formal training opportunities focused on safely and ethically incorporating AI into their educational practice professional development.

The training will primarily be on the use of generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and other state-of-the-art tools developed by the partnering companies.

The training program will consist of face-to-face and virtual sessions, workshops and self-directed learning modules. Teachers will learn to use AI for lesson planning, individualized learning, working efficiently for administrative purposes, and engaging students.

AFT President Randi Weingarten said the whole effort is not to replace teachers but to prepare them to have another resource to better support students in an ever changing technological landscape.

“Our priority is to allow teachers to use these resources to assist student learning while not supplanting their own professional judgement,” she explained.Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, mentioned that the edtech industry can develop responsible AI technologies that deploy in a responsible manner, but the purpose of empowering educators with AI is key to building responsible tech into our society that mobilizes educators to engage with it.”“The educators we represent are in the forefront of preparing the next generation of citizens and workers. It is essential to give them the tools and the training,” Smith anymore.

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The decision comes as AI tools become more embedded across industries when it comes to education, students are already on ChatGPT and other AI technologies. With the proliferation of these technologies, there is a pressing need to train teachers on not just how to use, but how to guide, assess and ethically use these technologies.

Major AI research players, Anthropic and OpenAI will contribute to the new curriculums and safety frameworks to see how educators can responsibly utilize AI in learning contexts. This initiative illustrates that there is a recognition that teacher training will be ween just part of the ongoing evolution of education technologies. The initiative also offers teacher support to help them navigate student data privacy, equity and digital literacy - a more all-inclusive approach to implementing AI.