Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic Invest in Teacher AI Training

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the second-largest U.S. teachers’ union with 1.8 million members across the U.S., is starting a new training hub with funding from the biggest AI names.

AFT announced on Tuesday that it would start a new AI training center for teachers, the National Academy for AI Instruction, with backing from Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic. The hub is set to open in New York City this fall, starting with workshops, online courses, and hands-on training for K-12 educators on how to use AI for tasks like creating lesson plans. The center aims to support 400,000 teachers over the next five years.

Microsoft has committed $12.5 million to the hub, OpenAI will provide $10 million in funding, and Anthropic will give $500,000 for the first year the hub opens, for a total of $23 million in funding.

The move is part of a broader push by AI companies to bring AI to the classroom. AI use is rapidly becoming normalized in higher education, with California State University stating in February that it would provide ChatGPT for its 460,000 university students. High schools are also feeling the push, with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the third-largest school system in the nation, introducing Google AI chatbots to more than 100,000 high school students this spring.

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A Bloomberg Intelligence report predicted that the generative AI market will expand to $1.3 trillion by 2032, up from just $40 billion in 2022.

Teachers are also increasingly using AI. Consulting group Tyton Partners found that the percentage of teachers who reported using AI nearly doubled from 22% in 2023 to 40% in 2024. The same survey found that in 2024, nearly 60% of students reported using AI at least once a month for assignments.

However, not everyone approves of AI use in the classroom. Earlier this year, Northeastern University student Ella Stapleton asked the school for a refund for an $8,000 course after she noticed the professor used AI to create lecture notes and slide presentations. Northeastern University denied her request.

There are also cognitive dangers associated with AI. A study released by Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University in January found that while AI can improve efficiency, it can also “reduce critical engagement,” leading to “diminished independent problem-solving.” The researchers found that humans who were more confident in AI’s abilities used fewer critical thinking skills. They left the thinking to AI instead of doing it themselves.

Related: Using ChatGPT? AI Could Damage Your Critical Thinking Skills, According to a Microsoft Study