16-State Commission on Artificial Intelligence and Education Established

  • By Kate Lucariello
  • 02/21/24

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) has established a new Commission on Artificial Intelligence and Education, convening "leaders in education and business to chart a course for how AI is used in classrooms and how to prepare a workforce that is being transformed by technology." South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and West Virginia's Marshall University President Brad D. Smith will co-chair the two-year commission.

SREB's 16 states will provide commission members from governors' offices, education and workforce agencies, K–12 and postsecondary faculty, business executives, managers, and leaders. A list of commissioners, information about the first meeting, and responsibilities of its committees will be announced in the coming weeks, SREB said in a release.

The commission's first meeting, to be held in March 2024, will be to review research and industry data and hear from education experts. It will then make focus recommendations for the commission to tackle in these general areas:

  • AI in teaching and learning in K–12 and postsecondary institutions;
  • Establishing AI policies in K–12 schools, colleges, and universities; and
  • How to prepare students for careers involving AI.

"We need to be proactive now, because AI is fundamentally shifting the classroom and the workplace," said Stephen L. Pruitt, SREB president. "The commission will bring us together for a roadmap on preparing students for this world in which AI is a reality."

SREB is a non-partisan, nonprofit interstate compact headquartered in Atlanta. It serves Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Its work is funded by appropriations from its member states, contracts and grants from foundations, and from local, state and federal agencies.

To learn more, visit SREB's ed tech page.

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

Featured

  • AI-inspired background pattern with geometric shapes and fine lines in muted blue and gray on a dark background

    IBM Releases Granite 3.0 Family of Advanced AI Models

    IBM has introduced its most advanced family of AI models to date, Granite 3.0, at its annual TechXchange event. The new models were developed to provide a combination of performance, flexibility, and autonomy that outperforms or matches similarly sized models from leading providers on a range of benchmarks.

  • blue and green lines intersecting and merging in an abstract pattern against a light gray background with a subtle grid design

    Data Integration Market: Cloud Giants Down, AI Up

    "By 2027, AI assistants and AI-enhanced workflows incorporated into data integration tools will reduce manual intervention by 60 percent and enable self-service data management," according to research firm Gartner.

  • minimalist bookcase filled with textbooks featuring vibrant, solid-colored spines with no text, and a prominent number "25" displayed on one of the shelves

    OpenStax Celebrates 25th Anniversary

    OpenStax is celebrating its 25th anniversary as 2024 comes to a close. The open educational resources initiative from Rice University has served almost 37 million students in 153 countries and saved students nearly $3 billion in course material costs since its launch in 1999.

  • wind turbine and solar panels with glowing accents on the left and a digital shield surrounded by binary code on the right

    Educause Horizon Report: Sustainability Pressures Lead to Increased Cybersecurity Risks

    Educause recently released the 2024 Cybersecurity and Privacy Edition of its Horizon Report series, forecasting key trends, technologies, and practices shaping the future of cybersecurity and privacy in higher education.