Are Teachers Unions Sneaking DEI Into Classroom AI?

Powerful teachers unions and education groups across the US are allegedly working to incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion – also known as DEI – into artificial intelligence (AI) before the technology is fully integrated into American classrooms, according to a new investigative report by Defending Education, a watchdog group.

AI is rapidly becoming a part of everyday life for Americans as industries everywhere embrace the advanced technology. Schools are no exception, and while adoption has been slower in education, it’s only a matter of time before AI – and the DEI hidden therein – becomes a common feature in classrooms nationwide.

Hiding AI

Defending Education warns that most K–12 schools and universities will use AI in the classroom within just a few years as teachers increasingly rely on the tech to assist with lesson plans, research, student feedback, and more. The concern is that unions, progressive activists, and education organizers reportedly see AI as an opportunity to expose American students to DEI.

“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,” Defending Education’s report states.

The main organizations that are allegedly behind the DEI-AI push are the National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), California Teachers Association (CTA), American Association of School Administrators (AASA), National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), and National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Defending Education notes that this is not a comprehensive list of groups pushing DEI into artificial intelligence; rather, the list “represents the largest unions and associations promoting the adoption of DEI in AI tools for schools.”

DEI AI? SOS!

Defending Education’s investigation found numerous examples of these groups attempting to inject left-wing ideology into AI used in American classrooms, including:

• A model school board policy from the NEA urging districts to ensure classroom AI tools reflect DEI principles as a safeguard against what it calls “algorithmic bias.”
• An academy created by the AFT – with the help of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic – to train teachers that AI tools have “bias” and “equity” issues.
• Guidance from the CTA that urges education professionals to “approach AI with an equity lens.
• Material from the AASA promoting the idea that “white males” are problematic in AI development and that AI represents “New Jim Code.”
• An article published by the NAESP that states: “Create a checklist of must-have features and deal-breakers. Ask vendors about their efforts to address algorithmic biases that might affect students.”
• A statement from the NASSP urging educators to ensure that AI tools “advance and do not undermine equity given that AI systems are trained on human data that may reflect biases, particularly against students of color and those with disabilities.”

An NAESP spokesperson rejected Defending Education’s framing of their efforts, telling Fox News Digital that the group is simply trying to help “elementary and middle school leaders make informed decisions about the use of artificial intelligence as it becomes more prevalent in schools."

“Our AI resources encourage principals to evaluate emerging technologies through a broad range of practical considerations, including instructional value, student privacy, data security, transparency, accessibility, reliability, and responsible implementation,” the organization’s statement continued.

Of course, whether these groups believe their intentions are noble is beside the point. Ideology has no place in American classrooms. Once again, no one makes a stronger case for homeschooling than teachers unions and left-wing educators.