The National Academy for AI Instruction, created by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in partnership with Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthology, will provide free curriculum and certification opportunities to AFT members, according to an announcement last week.
The new program aims to scale up past summer symposiums on AI held through the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and Microsoft.
“We jointly hosted symposiums over the last two summers, but never reached critical mass to ensure America’s educators are coaches in the game, not spectators on the sidelines,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a public statement.
The academy will offer AI instruction starting this fall based at a facility in Manhattan, combining in-person workshops, online courses, credential pathways and continuing education credits, all designed by educators and AI experts. The news release said over the next five years, AFT plans to train 400,000 K-12 educators, representing roughly 10 percent of the U.S. teaching workforce.
“The academy is a place where educators and school staff will learn about AI — not just how it works, but how to use it wisely, safely and ethically,” Weingarten said.
It will also serve as an innovation lab, refining its tools and strategies based on classroom experiences. The news release said the ultimate aim of the program is to create a national model for AI integration.
According to its website, OpenAI is contributing $8 million directly to the effort, as well as providing $2 million in technical support and computing access. This includes priority access to OpenAI educational tools, API credits that educators can use to create customized classroom tools, and assistance integrating AI into school learning systems.
“To best serve students, we must ensure teachers have a strong voice in the development and use of AI,” Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft, said in a public statement. “This partnership will not only help teachers learn how to better use AI, it will give them the opportunity to tell tech companies how we can create AI that better serves kids.”
The academy is expected to expand through additional regional hubs by 2030.
