The Kentucky bill, Senate Bill 52, sponsored by state Sen. Reginald Thomas, D-Lexington, would establish an Artificial Intelligence in Kentucky’s Schools project supervised by the Kentucky Department of Education.
“The term ‘artificial intelligence’ means a machine-based system that can, for a given set of human-defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations or decisions influencing real or virtual environments,” according to the U.S. Department of State website.
If the bill became law, the Kentucky Department of Education would by July 1 be required to establish recommended initial guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence in school administration, instruction and classroom management, academic standards, school and local board policies, and teacher preparation programs.
The bill also would require training in AI for teachers, school administrators and school board members.
The legislation would also align and monitor the state’s postsecondary institutions’ efforts on artificial intelligence.
“We are on the brink of a technological renaissance with artificial intelligence,” Thomas told the Herald-Leader Wednesday.
He said he filed the bill to ensure the state “navigates this new frontier with the foresight, responsibility and ethical consideration it demands.”
The legislation intends to embrace innovation while putting safeguards in place to protect residents’ rights, privacy and well-being as AI becomes part of everyday life, he said.
“We must be stewards of this powerful technology. That begins with legislation that protects, empowers and prepares Kentucky for a future where technology serves all of us both equally and justly,” Thomas said.
Republican lawmakers did not immediately comment Wednesday. Kentucky Department of Education officials don’t have a comment on Senate Bill 52 at this time, said spokesman Joe Ragusa.
The University of Kentucky has formed a new committee to look at the impact of artificial intelligence and tools like ChatGPT on higher education, officials said last year.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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