On May 27th, the President of the American Federation of Teachers came out and said that there should be a ban on “digital learning” and the use of artificial intelligence in schools for kids under age 16.
Guess what? I actually agree with the President of the AFT. A.I. should not only be banned from unauthorized use in ALL primary and secondary schools for students of ALL ages, but also severe punishment should be handed out for any student caught using it. “Why?” you might ask. Because it is at best cheating and at worst plagiarism. Using A.I., which is by definition someone else’s computer-program generated stuff is both cheating and plagiarism. And up until the Biden Administration, such behavior WAS severely punished.
But let’s blow the stink off of the B.S. The AFT isn’t interested in your kids learning how to read, write or think for themselves. They are interested in NOT HAVING teaching jobs (and union dues) being replaced by computer programs and i-phones. And really, that’s the function of any union, to keep dues-paying members employed and to grow the number of dues-paying employees. The function of the members, whether it be teaching or making steel, is not the union’s concern. So NEVER, EVER let them blow the “it’s-for-the-kids” smoke up your butts. Because it’s not for the kids and it never was about the kids.
Back to A.I. and schools. First of all, at some point in a student’s educational cycle A.I. should be addressed as a useful TOOL. While I’m not firm on the timing, its introduction should be in the junior or senior year of high school, and it should be a required course. A.I’s use should be shown as a tool to correct or modify a student’s OWN WORK so they can learn how to improve their own work. And perhaps a secondary level course should be offered, something to the tune of finding the flaws in any A.I. system. God knows that those flaws will be there.
Teaching kids to use A.I. should be like teaching them to use a hammer. It might work well to drive in a nail, but don’t use it to butter your bread.
Jack
Written May 28, 2026
H.O.T. Jack’s observations and opinions are shared with you by, but not edited by, H.O.T. Government and so do not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of H.O.T. Government.
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