U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) recently chaired a HELP Education & the American Family Subcommittee hearing on "The Future of K-12 Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence," making the case for AI literacy as his home state implements AI courses throughout the school system.
In the hearing, Tuberville stressed the importance of helping students in the age of AI understand its utility and risks.
"AI has the potential to help students learn at their own pace, give teachers more time to focus on teaching, and open doors for students who may need extra support," Tuberville said. "Those are opportunities we should take very, very seriously. But we also need to be honest about the challenges. How do we protect students' privacy? How do we make sure AI is giving accurate information? How do we prevent students from becoming dependent on technology instead of developing critical thinking skills? How do we ensure that rural America isn't left behind? Most importantly, how do we make sure AI strengthens education instead of weakening it? Our job isn't to chase every new trend. Our job is to figure out what works, what doesn't work, and what's best for students, parents, and teachers."
Tuberville is the Republican nominee for the next Alabama governor, and therefore the presumed victor of the November general election. His recent emphasis on AI literacy in K-12 put him in lock-step with the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE), which has implemented a plan to make AI education mandatory in the state as part of its computer science program.
Alabama was among the first in the nation to integrate AI literacy into its Digital Literacy and Computer Science Course of Study. Students on the general education pathway must successfully complete at least one unit of credit in the computer science course of study.
The course requires the integration, study, and conceptualization of AI technology across kindergarten through 12th grade, depending on the specific class.
Schools began voluntary implementation of the courses this year. However, the state will require implementation in the 2027-28 school year.
"Emerging technologies, such as AI, have already begun to change the way people access information, communicate, and make decisions," ALSDE said in the introduction to the course of study. "Students must be able to not only use current technologies but also to explore, evaluate, and adapt to emerging innovations as they are developed.
It continues, "Because AI impacts all areas of digital literacy and computer science, standards related to AI have been integrated throughout the conceptual framework themes and focus areas, rather than being isolated in a separate section. Standards related to AI in Computational Thinking and Data Science themes require students to explore how AI works and utilizes data. AI-related standards in Impact of Computing direct students to focus on the ethical use and possible biases of AI and to examine its impact on the world around them. In Digital Proficiency, standards focus on the safety and usage of AI tools."
ALSDE integrated the AI component of the course after implementing the program following the passage of a 2019 piece of legislation mandating computer science instruction across all public K-12 schools in Alabama.
Starting with the class of 2032, completion of a state-approved computer science course that includes AI literacy will be a graduation requirement.
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