McMahon: AI can be a ‘great tool’ for students

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Sunday that AI could be a helpful tool for K-12 students if schools and educators apply the technology properly.

During an interview on CNN’s “ State of the Union ,” McMahon spoke of her recent visit to the Alpha School in Austin, Texas.

Students at the private institution interact with chatbots for the “first couple of hours” every day, McMahon noted, with teachers “monitoring what they’re doing.”

McMahon told host Dana Bash, “The beauty of that is that a student almost has a one-on-one tutor. So, the teacher can monitor to see if a child is a bit behind and repeat information for them. If a child is really excelling, then their programs get sped up a bit.”

“So it’s a great tool to have in this particular school,” she continued.

Last year, 54 percent of students and 53 percent of English, math and science teachers said they used AI for school, according to a survey conducted by the RAND Corporation. That marked increases of 15-plus percentage points relative to surveys conducted over the prior two years.

Earlier this week, the Education Department released guidance for technology use in the classroom, intended to apply to the use of artificial intelligence and technology writ large.

Kirsten Baesler, the department’s assistant secretary in charge of the Office of Elementary and Education, wrote in a letter to K-12 school leaders that institutions should be “increasingly intentional about the digital experiences” students have access to.

“The effectiveness of any educational technology depends on the quality of the tool, the purpose for which it is used, and the conditions in which it is implemented,” Baesler wrote. “Not only do we need to know if the tool works, but if it works; why does it work, for whom does it work, and under what conditions.”

McMahon echoed her assistant secretary’s letter, saying policymakers and educators have to determine the specific results of increasing artificial intelligence use in the classroom.

“Are we seeing better outcomes in schools? And if we’re not, then … they should be pulled out. But I have seen it work so well in the introductions that I’ve seen,” McMahon said.

She added, “As we introduce it, I think, slowly in schools, it can be a very effective tool used properly.”

McMahon noted, though, that parents “have every right” to opt their children out of AI-centered instruction if they are “not seeing” a positive outcome from the technology’s use.