SALT LAKE CITY — At a time when concerns remain over artificial intelligence and its possible impact on education, Utah is moving forward with bringing AI into the classroom.
Starting in the next school year, the Utah State Board of Education will partner with Google to provide students and teachers with what the department calls "secure, responsible" AI tools.
In its announcement Tuesday, the board said the launch of "Gemini for Education" is designed to personalize instruction and "better prepare students for an increasingly digital workforce and world." Although the board introduced the program, its use is at the full discretion of local education agencies across the state
Gemini is the name of Google's AI tool.
According to the board, the program will benefit its 680,000 students by helping generate ideas and exploring projects, and providing explanations for complex issues. When used by teachers for lesson planning and administrative responsibilities, the "Gemini for Education" program would allegedly free up time for more student engagement.
Teachers turn to AI to help students learn literacy and language:
The board claims that all AI use in the program will remain secure and that any data or conversations involving students and teachers will not be used to train AI models.
“Our goal is to ensure students possess the necessary skills to navigate a changing world,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Molly Hart. “Local education agencies retain full local control over whether to adopt these tools, and for those that choose to do so, this work represents a step toward fulfilling that mission by supporting individual learning journeys and teaching students to interact with AI technology safely, ethically, and responsibly.”
In March, Gov. Spencer Cox signed H.B. 273 into law, which required the Utah State Board of Education to create policies defining the use of AI in public schools.
The board said Google will provide free training sessions to teachers and students through December 2027.
