Pennsylvania state rep seeks ban on AI primary teachers following pro-AI charter school rejection

Pennsylvania State Rep. Nikki Rivera has introduced legislation to ban charter schools from using artificial intelligence as the primary instructor, requiring certified human teachers instead. The bill follows the state Department of Education’s rejection of Unbound Academy’s charter application, which proposed AI-driven instruction with human “guides,” highlighting growing concerns about AI replacing traditional teaching methods.

What you should know: Rivera’s proposed legislation would deny AI-powered charter and cyber charter applications as a safeguard against unproven instructional practices.

• The bill aims to prevent taxpayer dollars from being redirected “from those manipulating the law for their own profit at the expense of our students.”
• Rivera, a former high school Spanish teacher with 30 years of experience, emphasized that “AI is a tool. It’s not the teacher, it’s the tool for the teacher.”

The big picture: Pennsylvania’s proposed ban reflects a broader national debate over AI’s role in education, with similar policies emerging across the United States.

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2370 in 2024, barring AI instructors from teaching in the state’s community colleges.
• The Faculty Association of California Community Colleges, which represents educators at two-year institutions, supported the measure, stating it “ensures that a human being serves as the instructor, while still permitting AI’s use as a supplementary tool.”

Why this matters: Rivera expressed concerns about prioritizing speed over the productive struggle of learning, warning against ceding educational control to chatbots and computer programs.

• “I’m a big advocate for building the human brain. However, because we are human, there is a level of information digestion that we have to do,” she said.
• “While there are programs out there that can translate for me in other languages, it’s still important for my brain to learn other languages. We need to keep exercising the brain.”

Global faculty concerns: A 2025 survey by the Digital Education Council reveals widespread unease among educators about AI’s growing role in education.

• The survey of 1,681 faculty members at 52 higher-education institutions in 28 countries found 83 percent expressed concern about students’ ability to critically evaluate AI-generated outputs.
• Only 17 percent of faculty considered themselves at “advanced or expert” level in AI proficiency.
• 80 percent said their institutions lack clarity on AI’s teaching role.

What experts are saying: Digital Education Council CEO Alessandro Di Lullo noted that while faculty believe AI has transformative potential, uncertainty hampers implementation.

• “Faculty want to use AI, but the lack of training and institutional clarity is holding them back,” Di Lullo said.
• However, he warned that “both institutions and individuals must act now to embrace AI literacy, or risk leaving educators and students unprepared for the future.”

Looking ahead: Rivera plans to continue developing safeguards for students and teachers as technology rapidly evolves.

• “I really want to keep the person, the human, the teacher, as the forefront of a child’s education and provide that teacher with all the tools we can,” she said.
• “That’s my goal.”