AFT and Microsoft Partner on AI Technology Symposium to Aid Teachers, Support Students’ Learning

AFT and Microsoft Partner on AI Technology Symposium to Aid Teachers, Support Students’ Learning

CHICAGO—Today, the AFT is teaming up with Microsoft for a pathbreaking “AFT/Microsoft Symposium on AI in Education and Beyond”—a practical two-day information and training summit to empower educators to share their expertise with developers and receive hands-on experience to better understand and safely introduce emerging AI technologies.

The symposium, August 12-13 at the Hilton Chicago, is part of a full array of programs and resources the AFT has created to help educators as they grapple with the rapidly expanding role of AI in education—including a report on teacher-led guardrails for AI and AI Educator Brain, a free and growing set of online lesson plans. The Microsoft event will support their work and classroom practice to enhance teaching and learning.

“Our members know their students best. And that expertise is what’s needed to make AI work for everyone,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “As the rapid rise of advanced technology transforms all aspects of our society, including schools, we are working to harness its potential while advocating for the guardrails to mitigate its peril.

"We teamed with Microsoft because we share a fundamental belief: that educators must be at the center of technological integration so AI supplements, rather than substitutes, the human connection that is the cornerstone of teaching and learning. This symposium is just the beginning of an ongoing collaboration between the AFT, Microsoft and other stakeholders within the AI and education communities, and will ensure the dialogue continues well beyond 2024.”

The joint symposium (which includes a partnership with NewsGuard and nonprofit policy partner TeachAI) will ground AI deployment in the classroom by drawing on the firsthand experiences and insights of AFT members, with every session spearheaded by a current educator.

“AI presents an opportunity to enhance worker experience, giving teachers more time to get back to their true passion—educating young people,” said Amy Pannoni, Microsoft Vice President. “That focus is what makes this symposium unique. This two-day gathering brings educators together with technology leaders to learn how to leverage new AI tools and provide feedback on their development and deployment. The symposium is a launch point for AI learning and dialogue and part of a broader set of commitments between Microsoft and the AFL-CIO.”

Attendees will engage in a series of breakout sessions covering the impact of AI on teaching and learning, professional development, special needs and more. It will feature in-depth conversations among teachers, students, parents, industry partners and AI developers to exchange ideas, set expectations and co-create visions for the future of AI in education.

They will share their thoughts with and hear from educational technology developers demonstrating their latest AI tools and exploring practical applications, potential educational outcomes and frameworks for safe and equitable use.

Speakers include:

• Randi Weingarten, president, AFT
• Amy Pannoni, vice president, Microsoft
• Michael Donaldson, moderator, Washington Teachers’ Union