Washington D.C., October 24, 2023 – At an event on Capitol Hill today, the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the leading trade association for the business of information, released Principles for the Future of AI in Education – a framework intended to guide the ed tech industry’s implementation of artificial intelligence in a purpose-driven, transparent, and equitable manner that enables critical tools for personalized and enhanced learning experiences and improved assistive technologies.

The seven principles are:

• AI technologies in education should address the needs of learners, educators, and families.
• AI technologies used in education should account for educational equity, inclusion and civil rights as key elements of successful learning environments.
• AI technologies used in education must protect student privacy and data.
• AI technologies used in education should strive for transparency to enable the school community to effectively understand and engage with the AI tools.
• Companies building AI tools for education should engage with education institutions and stakeholders to explain and demystify the opportunities and risks of new AI technologies.
• The education technology industry should work with the greater education community to identify ways to support AI literacy for students and educators.

“With AI being used by many teachers and educational institutions, we determined it was critical to work with the education technology industry to develop a set of principles to guide the future development and deployment of these innovative technologies,” said Chris Mohr, President, SIIA. “Partnering with teachers, parents, and students will be critical to improving educational outcomes, protecting privacy and civil rights, and understanding of these technologies. I commend our member companies who embraced this initiative to collaborate and for their commitment to support our children and teachers.”

The principles were developed by the SIIA AI in Education Steering Committee, which includes AllHere, ClassDojo, Cengage, D2L, EdWeb.net, GoGuardian, InnovateEDU, Instructure, MIND Education, McGraw Hill and Pearson.

“AI and kids’ privacy have dominated the conversation in Congress and in the states this year,” said Sara Kloek, Vice President, Education and Children’s Policy, SIIA. “As the trade organization representing the leading companies in ed tech, it is our mission to advance the responsible use of AI to enhance a learner’s educational experience while at the same time protecting their privacy, promoting educational equity, upholding civil rights, and developing important skills for the future.”

At today’s event, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Kristina Ishmael, Deputy Director, Office of Education Technology, U.S. Department of Education and Alberto M. Carvalho, Superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District presented remarks. Two panel discussions were also conducted. 

The panel AI in the Classroom: What is it? How is it Made? featured Joanna Smith-Griffin, CEO & Founder, AllHere; Teddy Hartman, Senior Director of Privacy & Data Policy, GoGuardian; Brigid Evans, Director of Government Relations, Pearson and Jonathan Medin, Vice President, Psychometrics, Research, Learning Sciences & Innovation, Renaissance Learning.

The panel Perspectives from the Education Community featured Pat Yongpradit, Chief Academic Officer, Code.org and Lead of TeachAI; Joseph South, Chief Innovation Officer, ISTE; and Erin Mote, Co-Founder and Executive Director, InnovateEDU and EdSafe AI, Alliance Leader.

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About SIIA

SIIA is an umbrella association representing more than 380 technology, data and media companies and associations globally. Industry leaders work through SIIA’s divisions to address issues and challenges that impact their industry segments with the goal of driving innovation and growth for the industry and each member company. This is accomplished through in-person and online business development opportunities, peer networking, corporate education, intellectual property protection and government relations. For more information, visit siia.net.