Artificial Intelligence (AI)

SPS Commitment to Ethical AI in Education

Superintendent Dr. Jones asking students about their work, students showing their work on a laptop

Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is committed to enhancing the educational landscape through the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) aligning with our vision of Seattle excellence.

Our approach to AI is designed to support students and staff by providing training and AI tools which offer diverse opportunities for assistance, brainstorming, and engagement, while automating routine tasks to allow educators to focus on impactful instruction and relationship building.

SPS adheres to stringent data protection processes and is guided by principles that prioritize student learning, mitigate risks, and foster an inclusive, innovative learning environment.

Common Tools with AI Available on SPS Devices

The AI tools selected for SPS use are meant to enhance the educational experience for all students while prioritizing student well-being, privacy, and security.

Learn more about AI tools available on SPS devices

SPS Vision for Artificial Intelligence

students working at laptops in a classroom

The work SPS has done understanding AI centers on our commitment to enhance the educational experience for all students while prioritizing student well-being, privacy, and security.

We follow OSPI’s guidance that “uses of AI should always start with human inquiry and always end with human reflection, human insight, and human empowerment.”

By centering student learning, AI applications used in instruction can offer diverse opportunities for students to seek assistance, brainstorm ideas, and actively engage in their educational journey. Similar to other technology resources, AI can serve as valuable supports for students to demonstrate their understanding across various subjects.

AI presents powerful resources for staff to automate routine and repetitive tasks, enabling educators to dedicate more time to impactful instruction and building meaningful relationships with students. This aligns with the insights provided by the U.S. Department of Education’s report on Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning, emphasizing examples such “handling low-level details to ease teaching burdens and increase focus on students.”

While we embrace the potential benefits of AI, we also recognize the importance of acknowledging their limitations and risks. It is crucial for students and staff to exercise critical thinking skills when evaluating work produced by these tools, as the information provided may be biased, inaccurate, or incomplete.

As AI in education continues to evolve, SPS remains dedicated to developing resources that guide the ethical and effective use of these applications, all within the framework of safeguarding the privacy and security of our students through adherence to stringent data protection processes.

We are committed to leveraging AI tools responsibly to provide the best possible learning experiences in SPS for our students. Together, we will continue to foster an inclusive and innovative 21st century learning environment.

Guiding AI Principles

SPS is guided by the following principles:

Decisions to use AI tools will be based on whether they significantly benefit student learning and if any risks can be adequately mitigated. AI tools can be used to aid learning, provide additional resources, and support research. However, they should not be used when a learning opportunity calls for critical thinking, original idea creation, in-depth understanding, or evaluation.

Staff will be explicit in syllabi and assignments about the integration of AI tools into student activities. Learning opportunities should clearly specify which AI tools are allowed (if any) and the purpose for which they should be used. Educators should also be transparent about the role of AI tools in their instruction and/or work and model this for students.

AI tools should not be used to create products to be submitted as a student or educator’s original work unless explicitly allowed for that purpose. Use of AI tools can be seen as analogous to getting assistance from another person or source. Any substantial help from AI tools in completing assignments or exams must be acknowledged and clearly communicated or cited using the correct format.

The use of AI tools should not cause harm. Students, educators, and families should be educated on the ethical implications of AI use (e.g., concerns about data privacy, intellectual property rights and copyright, safety, bias in AI, and the potential consequences of over-reliance on AI). Students and staff should recognize and demonstrate an understanding of the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of living, learning, and working in an interconnected digital world and use AI in ways that are safe, legal, and ethical.

Attention will be given to protecting personal data and ensuring users are aware of risks associated with AI tool usage. All use of AI tools must adhere to privacy policies to protect student data. Any AI tool in use must comply with local and national data privacy laws and regulations.

Efforts will be made to assess and address any risks of biased information produced by AI tools. Educators should identify how AI can show bias and lack representation. They must review AI use through an actively anti-racist educator lens and discuss these implications with students to identify paths for students to reflect on and address these issues.

AI tools required in courses should be available and accessible to all users, to prevent disparities in learning opportunities and future career-connected learning pathways. Accommodations should be made to ensure equitable access to approved AI tools that support teaching and learning.

Educators and students should always check the information provided by an AI tool for bias and accuracy (invented, missing, or incorrect information). Regardless of AI use, human authors will remain accountable for all content produced.