Country's biggest teachers' unions efforts to get DEI into AI for schools K-12 sparks backlash

The country's two biggest teachers unions are working to get diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) ideology into artificial intelligence models before they are used in grades K-12, sparking backlash from at least one education and parental rights advocacy group.

The unions, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, essentially say they are making such efforts, including becoming involved in the process at state-level education departments, to mitigate AI models' "algorithmic bias." 

The term is essentially defined as AI-generated results that are incorrect, unfair or prejudiced as a result, in part, of the prejudices, whether blind or intentional, of the model creators, typically white or Asian men.  

Such efforts were flagged in a recent report by Defending Education, a national conservative and right-of-center grassroots advocacy organization.

"Within the next few years, most K-12 schools and colleges will integrate AI into their curricula ... helping students with research assignments and even creating specialized feedback for each student," says the group before warning, "The problem is that unions, left-wing activists, and groups in the education field are already setting the foundation to use these AI tools to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives to students during their formative years."

While the group singles out the country's two most powerful teachers' unions, it cites similars efforts by such groups, associations and organizations as:

• The California Teachers Association assisting the California Department of Education in creating guidance for K-12 schools with language advocating for “educators to approach AI with an equity lens.”
• The American Association of School Administrators promoting the idea that “white males” are a problem in the creation of AI.

"The goal of these groups is to implement DEI ideology into AI before it can be fully integrated into America’s education system," Defending Education continued. "If DEI is embedded in AI before schools adopt these new tools, then DEI, as part of AI, becomes institutionalized in the nation’s schools once the tools are adopted."

Neither the AFT nor NEA responded to a request for comment.

Aaron Withe, CEO of the conservative think tank Freedom Foundation, told Just the News: “The NEA, AFT, and their state affiliates are indistinguishable from left-wing political advocacy shops. And now they're positioning themselves to get in on the ground floor of AI policy before parents or teachers have had a real say.” 

Such efforts would also appear, if successful, to put school districts at risk of being opposed by the Trump Administration, considering its existing efforts, from K-12 to colleges and universities, to remove DEI policies or risk losing federal funding. 

The administration argues that many DEI policies violate Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and that recent, anti-DEI efforts are allowable because it is enforcing pre-existing federal law.

The NEA has set out its concerns as far back as 2024 in a report titled: Task Force for AI in Education, which states as an example of such bias as AI software being "unable to recognize the faces of their Black students when logging into lessons.”  

“We stress the importance of including the diverse and intersectional perspectives and experiences of those who are Native, Asian, Black, Latin(o/a/x), Middle Eastern and North African, Multiracial, and Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+, and from all economic backgrounds and abilities,” the 60-page report also states. “This is essential if AI technology is to be effective in its educational purpose.”

AFT last year partnered with the United Federation of Teachers and lead partner Microsoft Corp., founding partner OpenAI, and Anthropic, to launch the National Academy for AI Instruction, a $32 million initiative to provide access to free AI training and curriculum for all 1.8 million members of the AFT, starting with K-12 educators.

AFT has argued such efforts are to advance equity and fairness in public education and address societal inequities” through AI technologies,

However, Freedom Foundation’s Aaron Withe isn’t persuaded. 

“The AFT's language about 'building capacity for vigorous civic engagement' and guarding against 'misinformation' and 'radicalization' would be a lot more convincing if the union weren't one of the most politically active organizations in the country, funneling tens of millions of dues dollars into partisan campaigns and ideological causes that have nothing to do with teaching kids to read or do math,” he told Just the News.