Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming part of education—from the free models like ChatGPT to education-focused tools like Khan Academy’s Khanmigo. As we start bringing AI into classrooms, how do we do so without sacrificing equity, privacy, and inclusion?

We talked with two AI experts about how teachers bring AI into the classroom while keeping equity, privacy, and inclusion front and center: Irina Lyublinskaya, PhD, professor at Teachers College at Columbia University and author of Teaching AI Literacy Across the Curriculum, and Alex Kotran, CEO of aiEDU.

First and foremost, the goals for students remain the same even as AI enters the education landscape.

“The big thing,” says Kotran, “is how to make sure students are ready for the age of AI.”

That means getting a job and thriving in their work and lives. 

Kotran compares what’s happening today with AI to the start of the computer era, when everyone was thinking through the skills that students would need to thrive in a world with computers. The question then was: How are computers going to change the economy? How will computers change the options students have? The same questions apply to AI. We are at the beginning of understanding how AI will change the future for today’s students.

Learn more about what may happen with AI in schools: The Trump Administration Wants AI Literacy in Schools—What That Means for Teachers. 

The challenges AI presents to equity, privacy, and inclusion must be considered.

AI is a new technology and, as when computers were introduced, has the potential to be implemented without equity in mind. That means that some students receive more training and opportunity with AI while others are left behind. Plus, as a technology that is trained on the data that we give it, AI presents its own privacy challenges. And, similar to equity concerns, AI can revolutionize education for students with disabilities and ELL needs, or it can leave them behind. It’s all in how we use it.

How can teachers protect students?

For now, we aren’t going to give students over to AI—the classroom of the future is a teacher-centered classroom. Still, says Kotran, teachers need to start updating their teaching and learning practices. Here are ways to use AI with equity, privacy, and inclusion at the forefront.

Maintain equity

Use AI to better reach students

Think about how AI can help you reach the students you work with. That means brainstorming with AI to address your students’ needs. For example, Lyublinskaya uses AI to refine her own thinking. She’ll ask AI about a task she’s working on and review the information AI provides for things she hadn’t thought of or perspectives she hadn’t considered. Do the same as you’re thinking through what to do next with a small group, or how to approach teaching a new topic.

Understand and address bias

“You can’t get ahead of bias,” says Lyublinskaya, “but you need to know it’s there.” AI is biased because the data sets and humans that create it are inherently biased. The trick is to be aware of it, and think critically about the information that AI comes back with. 

Train students in AI literacy

Training students in AI literacy is crucial. For students right now, any understanding of AI is better than no understanding. Read our guide and resources on AI literacy, ask what your district is offering, or check out education-focused AI tools, like Khan Academy’s Khanmigo.

Focus on the personal interaction

Working with AI should improve personal interactions, not replace them. Kotran recalls a teacher who, instead of spending time individually grading all of his students’ essays, asked AI to review and give feedback. Then, he conferenced with each student to review and evaluate the AI feedback. That use of AI keeps the student and teacher front and center, says Kotran, allowing them to take more information about student work and decide what next steps to take. 

Facilitate inclusion

AI has the potential to support students, particularly those with special education needs or who are learning English. “AI is good at those kinds of things,” says Lyublinskaya. “It’s really good at breaking down complex things into simple steps or providing differentiation.” 

Here are ways to use AI to differentiate for student needs: 

• AI as translator. Students can ask AI to translate text or word problems into their home language. 
• Add cultural context. Give AI an assignment or question and ask it to rewrite it with the cultural context of the students you work with. 
• Scaffold. You already have a lesson plan, so just ask AI to give you ideas for how to scaffold and extend it for your group of students. 
• Providing accommodations. AI tools can provide students with text-to-speech tools, or line readers. 
• Personalize learning. Tell an AI bot the task you want students to do and the specific learning challenge they have (learning disability, dyslexia, autism, etc.). You’ll get ideas for how to differentiate and provide accommodations for that task. 
• Create projects. AI can take the challenge out of designing projects. Use AI to create project-based learning or collaborative learning experiences based on your content area or curriculum. 

Protect privacy

Privacy is a concern for good reason. AI tools are like other internet tools—sharing personal data can result in spam emails or worse. AI is not transparent when it comes to what data is used to train their tools. Here’s how to manage AI and privacy.

Read the fine print and opt out

The amount of data sharing or privacy considerations depends on the AI tool, says Lyublinskaya. Take time to read the fine print, and, if possible, choose to not have data shared. Some tools like ChatGPT have a way to opt out of data collection or use an “incognito” tool. The benefit is that your data won’t be shared. The downside is that if you are working on a project for more than one session, your work won’t be saved. 

Don’t share student data

If you are using AI to grade papers or review student data, make sure that all the student data is removed (name, grade, school, etc.). 

Engage students

Explain privacy to students. Students should understand what information should never be shared and what information may be sensitive. 

Keep the human advantage

In the end, AI is a tool that can be integrated purposefully into the classroom. Teachers should also be aware of over-reliance, says Lyublinskaya: “They don’t want students going to AI for every single question.” Kotran talks about leveraging the “human advantage.” “We can’t let AI take over teaching and learning. After all, the tools run on statistics, which means they will be wrong a portion of the time. Our human expertise and judgement is just as important now as ever.” 

However you use AI, don’t stray from the core of teaching and learning and the things you know about your students that AI never will. “My worry is that if we get too excited about AI,” says Kotran, “teachers will start to doubt themselves.”  

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