Microsoft, OpenAI launch $22.5M AI training program for K-12 teachers

Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic are partnering with the American Federation of Teachers to launch the National Academy for AI Instruction, a $22.5 million initiative to provide free AI training to K-12 educators. The program aims to help teachers from the nation’s second-largest teachers’ union confidently integrate AI tools into their classrooms while addressing growing concerns about students’ unsupervised use of chatbots like ChatGPT and Copilot.

What you should know: The academy will be based in New York City and focus on equipping kindergarten through 12th grade instructors with practical AI skills.

• The initiative seeks to give teachers “the tools and confidence to bring AI into the classroom in a way that supports learning and opportunity for all students,” according to details inadvertently published on YouTube ahead of Tuesday’s official announcement.
• The American Federation of Teachers represents approximately 1.8 million workers, including K-12 teachers, school nurses, and college staff.

Why this matters: Schools have struggled to keep pace with students’ rapid adoption of AI chatbots, creating a disconnect between classroom policies and real-world technology use.

• While AI tools can help students write papers and solve math problems, they also make confident errors that can be costly for learning outcomes.
• The technology has sparked concerns among parents, educators, and employers about whether chatbots prevent students from developing essential critical thinking skills.

The big picture: This partnership reflects broader tensions around AI’s role in education, with tech companies seeking classroom access while educators demand meaningful input on implementation.

• American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten has emphasized that educators must have a seat at the table in how AI is integrated into their profession.
• The program builds on Microsoft’s December 2023 partnership with the AFL-CIO, the umbrella organization for many American labor unions, to develop and deploy AI systems across various industries.

Current challenges: Educational institutions are deploying new tools to detect AI-assisted cheating while simultaneously exploring AI’s potential benefits for teaching.

• Some educators use AI to streamline time-consuming tasks like developing lesson plans and teaching materials.
• Teachers are beginning to introduce lessons on responsible generative AI use, balancing innovation with academic integrity.

Potential pushback: The initiative may face resistance from union members concerned about commercial tech companies’ influence in classrooms.

• Google, Apple, and Microsoft have competed for years to embed their tools in schools, hoping to cultivate lifelong users from childhood.
• Last week, professors in the Netherlands published an open letter calling for universities to reconsider financial relationships with AI companies and ban AI use in classrooms.

Competitive context: The announcement comes as Microsoft and OpenAI’s once-close relationship has become increasingly competitive, despite their continued collaboration on educational initiatives.

• The National Education Association, the largest US teachers’ union with about 3 million members, has not announced similar partnerships with AI companies.
• All-out AI bans appear unlikely given the growing usage of generative AI chatbots, pushing stakeholders toward finding common ground on responsible implementation.