Microsoft Agrees to Student Data Privacy and AI Safety Standards for Schools
Summary
Microsoft agreed to school AI standards barring most use of student data for training, sale, advertising or product development. The agreement also sets limits on AI companions and requires audits and transparency; OpenAI and Anthropic are discussing similar pacts.
Key points
- Microsoft says it will not use student or educator data to train AI systems, except for a narrow student-protection purpose, and will not sell the data or use it for advertising or product development.
- The agreement bars AI features designed to foster emotional attachment or dependency, or to keep students engaged beyond a learning task.
- It includes third-party audits and requires plain-language disclosures to families about how the tools work.
- Microsoft said the standards will apply to schools with which it has contracts starting Nov. 1.
- OpenAI and Anthropic said they are discussing similar agreements with the American Federation of Teachers; Google has not said whether it will adopt the framework.
- The article notes that New York City and Los Angeles are pausing student AI use for a year while reviewing education technology and privacy practices.
Article Details
- Event Type
- Microsoft agreed with the American Federation of Teachers to adopt legally binding AI privacy and safety standards for schools, including third-party compliance audits.
- Impact
- Microsoft says student and educator data will not be used to train AI systems except for a narrow student-protection purpose, sold, used for advertising, or used for product development. The agreement also prohibits AI features designed to foster emotional dependency and requires transparency measures. Microsoft said the standards will apply to schools with which it has contracts starting November 1. OpenAI and Anthropic said they were discussing similar agreements with the AFT; Google had not indicated whether it would adopt the framework.
People
Brad SmithMicrosoft vice chair and president; announced the standards' intended application to schools with Microsoft contracts.Elizabeth LairdDirector at the Center for Democracy and Technology; commented on the standards' potential effect on school privacy negotiations.Josh GolinExecutive director of Fairplay; commented on the agreement and its implications for AI use in schools.Randi WeingartenAFT president who described the agreement and said the union was in talks with other AI companies.
Vendors
AnthropicTwo other leading AI companies, OpenAI and Anthropic, said they also were discussing safety and privacy pacts with the AFT.GoogleBut Google, the dominant provider of education technology for America’s schools, has not said whether it plans to offer similar protections.MicrosoftIn response to a growing AI and screentime backlash, Microsoft announced last week it had agreed to adopt guardrails and privacy standards for its AI in schools, as negotiated with the American Federation of Teachers,OpenAITwo other leading AI companies, OpenAI and Anthropic, said they also were discussing safety and privacy pacts with the AFT.
Products
ChatGPTOpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, called it an “important milestone for AI safety and privacy in schools.” The company has been working with AFT, it said in a statement, “and we look forward to finalizing our own agreement.”ClaudeAnthropic, the maker of Claude, said in a statement, “We applaud all efforts to drive responsible AI use in education.” The company said it was working with AFT to shape “a gold standard for safety and privacy.”GeminiGoogle found itself at the center of controversy over AI in schools when it announced in August it had turned on its Gemini chatbot for many K-12 students using Google Classroom, its learning management system.Gemini NotebookThe AI addition to Classroom only affects schools that allow student access to its Gemini app or Gemini Notebook, but it marks a major shift.Google ClassroomGoogle found itself at the center of controversy over AI in schools when it announced in August it had turned on its Gemini chatbot for many K-12 students using Google Classroom, its learning management system.