"After marveling as AI graded classwork instantly and turned lesson plans into podcasts or online storybooks, one high school English teacher raised a concern that was on the minds of many: "Are we going to be replaced with AI?" That remains to be seen. But for the nation's 4 million teachers to stay relevant and help students use the technology wisely, teachers unions have forged an unlikely partnership with the world's largest technology companies."
"Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic are providing millions of dollars for AI training to the American Federation of Teachers, the country's second-largest teachers union. In exchange, the tech companies have an opportunity to make inroads into schools and win over students in the race for AI dominance. AFT President Randi Weingarten said skepticism guided her negotiations, but the tech industry has something schools lack: deep pockets. "There is no one else who is helping us with this. That's why we felt we needed to work with the largest corporations in the world," Weingarten said. "We went to them - they didn't come to us.""
"Under the arrangement announced in July, Microsoft is contributing $12.5 million to AFT over five years. OpenAI is providing $8 million in funding and $2 million in technical resources, and Anthropic has offered $500,000."
Dozens of teachers attended an AI-focused workshop where AI graded classwork instantly and converted lesson plans into alternative formats. Teachers expressed concern about potential replacement by AI. Teachers unions formed partnerships with major tech firms to provide training and funding for educators. Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic made multimillion-dollar contributions to support AI training through the American Federation of Teachers. The partnership follows a deliberate, skeptical approach and intends to remain tool-agnostic so any company's AI can be used in training. Funding will support an AI training hub to help teachers use the technology wisely.
Read at Fortune
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