Trump's Recently Proposed Executive Order Aims to Incorporate AI into Kindergarten-12th Grade Education
Informal Article Rewrite:
*"Sick of providing basics like pencils and paper in schools, the new education secretary is trying to fulfill President Trump's promise of cutting federal education spending—unless it involves universities freaking out about free speech rights. But AI is a whole different ball game: a draft executive order wants to prioritize AI in classrooms by taking cash from the feds and using it to nurture 'AI literacy' among students and teachers.
Named "Advancing AI Education for American Youth," the order sees AI as the driving force behind innovation, productivity, and the new way we live and work. The goal? To maintain the U.S.'s global lead by giving our kids opportunities to learn AI skills.
It looks like the Trump administration might've been inspired by China's recent announcement of their own plans to integrate AI apps into textbooks and school curriculum. Both countries are fighting tooth and nail to stay on top in the AI game, hoping it'll protect their global influence.
The new order establishes a White House task force on AI education, including players like Michael Kratsios, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Trump's crypto and AI advisor, David Sacks.
According to the Washington Post, the draft order urges federal agencies to team up with industry, academia, and nonprofit groups to teach students the basics of AI. The task force should dig up existing funding, like grants, and prioritize spending on AI education, the draft says. The education secretary, Linda McMahon, is expected to prioritize funding for teacher training on AI use, including for administrative tasks and evaluation. All educators should attend professional development to integrate AI into all subject areas, the draft order suggests.
To be honest, 'AI' and 'critical thinking' ain't usually found in the same sentence, as they're pretty much each other's polar opposites.
A study by Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University found that people who trusted AI assistants the most thought less critically about the tool's conclusions. It's not shocking that, in the developer community, experts worry that new programmers don't really know how to code, relying instead on answers given by coding bots. On platforms like X, users take to relying on AI chatbots to provide counterarguments during debates without checking their facts.
Now, it's cool if AI is used for beneficial purposes, like quickly searching through massive amounts of data or translating old works into English. Some companies have even tried to create AI tutors that create customized learning tracks for individual students. But it leaves a sour taste to think that too many schools may mess up AI implementation. Most people still don't understand how AI models work, and there's a chance schools will be tricked into thinking AI 'thinks' because of its human-like design. With teachers struggling to keep kids' attention even during smartphone bans, it's hard to see how schools will manage AI implementation effectively."*
Enrichment Data:
*The draft executive order signed by President Donald Trump in 2023 focuses on AI education in K-12 schools, with specific details and potential impacts as follows:
- Establishment of AI Education Task Force: The order sets up a White House Task Force under the leadership of the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, including the Secretaries of Education, Labor, Energy, and Agriculture, and Trump's special advisor for AI and cryptocurrency.
- Teacher Training: The Education Secretary is tasked with prioritizing federal grant funding for training teachers on AI integration across all subject areas, enhancing the use of AI in teacher training.
- Public-Private Partnerships: The order encourages federal agencies to prioritize spending on AI and form public-private partnerships with academia, industry, and nonprofits to teach AI literacy and critical thinking.
- AI Competition: The "Presidential AI Challenge" is initiated to encourage and celebrate student and educator achievements in AI.
- Apprenticeships and Workforce Development: The Labor Secretary is tasked with developing registered apprenticeship programs in AI-related jobs, promoting AI-related apprenticeships across industries.The executive order's potential impact on competing with China in the AI field includes early exposure to AI concepts, workforce development, and innovation and collaboration. However, success depends on effective implementation and collaboration between the public and private sectors. The order aims to position the U.S. as a leader in AI education, potentially strengthening its competitive edge against China and other global AI leaders by fostering a highly skilled workforce and encouraging AI innovation.
- The draft executive order, signed by President Donald Trump in 2023, focuses on integrating AI education into K-12 schools, establishing a White House Task Force, emphasizing teacher training, boosting public-private partnerships, launching the "Presidential AI Challenge," and promoting AI-related apprenticeships.
- As part of the order, the Education Secretary is tasked with prioritizing federal grant funding for training teachers on AI integration across all subject areas, aiming to nurture 'AI literacy' among students and educators.
- The future of technology and education-and-self-development is prime for competition, as this executive order and China's recent plans illustrate, with both nations striving to integrate AI apps into school curriculum, hoping to maintain their global influence in the tech domain.
