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More than 400,000 K-12 educators across the country will get free training in AI through a $23 million partnership between a major teachers union and leading tech companies that is designed to close gaps in the use of technology and provide a national model for AI-integrated curriculum.

The new National Academy for AI Instruction will be based in the downtown Manhattan headquarters of the United Federation of Teachers, the New York City affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, and provide workshops, online courses, and hands-on training sessions. This hub-based model of teacher training was inspired by work of unions like the United Brotherhood of Carpenters that have created similar training centers with industry partners, according to AFT President Randi Weingarten.

鈥淭eachers are facing huge challenges, which include navigating AI wisely, ethically and safely,鈥� Weingarten said at a press conference Tuesday announcing the initiative. 鈥淭he question was whether we would be chasing it or whether we would be trying to harness it.鈥�

The initiative involves the AFT, UFT, OpenAI, Microsoft, and Anthropic.

The Trump administration . More than 50 companies to provide grants, education materials, and technology to invest in AI education.

In the wake of and , Weingarten sees this partnership with private tech companies as a crucial investment in teacher preparation.

鈥淲e are actually ensuring that kids have, that teachers have, what they need to deal with the economy of today and tomorrow,鈥� Weingarten said.

The academy will be based in a city where the school system , claiming it would interfere with the development of critical thinking skills. A few months later, then-New York City schools Chancellor David Banks , pledging to help schools smartly incorporate the technology. He said New York City schools would embrace the potential of AI to drive individualized learning. But concrete plans have been limited.

The AFT, meanwhile, has tried to position itself as a leader in the field. Last year, the union and funded pilot programs around the country.

Vincent Plato, New York City Public Schools K-8 educator and UFT Teacher Center director, said the advent of AI reminds him of when teachers first started using word processors.

鈥淲e are watching educators transform the way people use technology for work in real time, but with AI it鈥檚 on another unbelievable level because it鈥檚 just so much more powerful,鈥� he said in a press release announcing the new partnership. 鈥淚t can be a thought partner when they鈥檙e working by themselves, whether that鈥檚 late-night lesson planning, looking at student data or filing any types of reports 鈥� a tool that鈥檚 going to be transformative for teachers and students alike.鈥�

Teachers who frequently use AI tools report saving 5.9 hours a week, according to . These tools are most likely to be used to support instructional planning, such as creating worksheets or modifying material to meet students鈥� needs. Half of the teachers surveyed stated that they believe AI will reduce teacher workloads.

鈥淭eachers are not only gaining back valuable time, they are also reporting that AI is helping to strengthen the quality of their work,鈥� Stephanie Marken, senior partner for U.S. research at Gallup, said in a press release. 鈥淗owever, a clear gap in AI adoption remains. Schools need to provide the tools, training, and support to make effective AI use possible for every teacher.鈥�

While nearly half of school districts surveyed by the research corporation RAND have reported training teachers in utilizing AI-powered tools by fall 2024, . District leaders across the nation report a scarcity of external experts and resources to provide quality AI training to teachers.

OpenAI, a founding partner of the National Academy for AI Instruction, will contribute $10 million over the next five years. The tech company will provide educators and course developers with technical support to integrate AI into classrooms as well as software applications to build custom, classroom-specific tools.

Tech companies would benefit from this partnership by 鈥渃o-creating鈥� and improving their products based on feedback and insights from educators, said Gerry Petrella, Microsoft general manager, U.S. public policy, who hopes the initiative will align the needs of educators with the work of developers.

In a sense, the teachers are training AI products just as much as they are being trained, according to Kathleen Day, a lecturer at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. Day emphasized that through this partnership, AI companies would gain access to constant input from educators so they could continually strengthen their models and products.

鈥淲ho鈥檚 training who?鈥� Day said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e basically saying, we鈥檒l show you how this technology works, and you tell us how you would use it. When you tell us how you would use it, that is a wealth of information.鈥�

Many educators and policymakers are also concerned that introducing AI into the classroom could endanger . Racial bias in grading could also be reinforced by AI programs, according to research by The Learning Agency.

Additionally, Trevor Griffey, a lecturer in labor studies at the University of California Los Angeles, that tech firms could use these deals to market AI tools to students and expand their customer base.

This initiative to expand AI access and training for educators was likened to New Deal efforts in the 1930s to expand equal access to electricity by Chris Lehane, OpenAI鈥檚 chief global affairs officer. By working with teachers and expanding AI training, Lehane hopes the initiative will 鈥渄emocratize鈥� access to AI.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no better place to do that work than in the classroom,鈥� he said at the Tuesday press conference.

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools. Sign up for their newsletters at .

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