A 6972: Creates an artificial intelligence working group within the department of education for the purpose of developing guidance and a model policy on the safe and effective use of artificial intelligence in ways that benefit, and do not harm, pupils and educators.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6972 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY March 18, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to creating an artificial intelligence working group in the department of education; and provid- ing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature finds and declares 2 that there is an urgent need for state guidance and locally adopted 3 policies regarding the safe and effective use of artificial intelligence 4 in education to benefit and protect pupils and educators. It is the 5 intent of the legislature to ensure that the use of artificial intelli- 6 gence technology-enabled teaching and learning practices are in coordi- 7 nation with, rather than a replacement of, educators. 8 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 115 to read 9 as follows: 10 § 115. Artificial intelligence working group. 1. For the purposes of 11 this section: 12 (a) "Artificial intelligence system" or "AI system" shall mean a 13 machine-based system that, for explicit or implicit objectives, infers, 14 from the input it receives, how to generate outputs such as predictions, 15 content, recommendations, or decisions that can influence physical or 16 virtual environments. Different AI systems vary in their levels of 17 autonomy and adaptiveness after deployment. 18 (b) "Working group" means the artificial intelligence working group 19 created by this section. 20 2. There is hereby created in the department an artificial intelli- 21 gence working group for the purposes of: 22 (a) developing guidance on the safe and effective use of artificial 23 intelligence in ways that benefit, and do not harm, pupils and educa- 24 tors; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD10463-02-5 
 A. 6972 2 1 (b) developing a model policy, reflecting available research, for 2 school districts and charter schools regarding the safe and effective 3 use of artificial intelligence in ways that benefit, and do not nega- 4 tively impact, educational quality, pupil critical thinking and writing 5 skills, creativity, and the essential work of educators; and 6 (c) identifying other ways in which the state can support educators in 7 developing and sharing effective practices involving artificial intelli- 8 gence that minimize risk and maximize benefits to pupils and educators. 9 3. (a) The working group shall consist of: 10 (i) the commissioner or the commissioner's designee; 11 (ii) the director of the office of information technology services or 12 the director's designee; 13 (iii) thirteen additional members to be appointed as follows: 14 (1) eight members to be appointed by the governor; 15 (2) one member to be appointed by the temporary president of the 16 senate; 17 (3) one member to be appointed by the speaker of the assembly; 18 (4) one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; 19 (5) one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the assembly; 20 and 21 (6) one member to be appointed by the director of the office of infor- 22 mation technology services. 23 (b) The members appointed pursuant to clauses one, two, three, four 24 and five of subparagraph (iii) of paragraph (a) of this subdivision 25 shall be selected from school district administrators, public school 26 teachers serving in elementary and/or secondary teaching positions with 27 knowledge of the use of artificial intelligence in education, university 28 and community college faculty with expertise in artificial intelligence 29 and its uses in education, and representatives of private sector busi- 30 ness or industry, with expertise in artificial intelligence and its uses 31 in education. 32 (c) The commissioner or the commissioner's designee shall serve, ex 33 officio, as the chair of the working group, and the director of the 34 office of information technology services or the director's designee 35 shall serve as the vice chair of the working group. In appointing 36 members of the working group, appointing authorities shall ensure that 37 such members, as a group, represent diverse scientific perspectives 38 relevant to the duties of the working group. The members of the work- 39 ing group, except those who serve ex officio, shall be allowed their 40 actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their 41 duties under this section but shall receive no additional compensation 42 for services rendered pursuant to this section. 43 (d) The working group, on call of the chair, shall meet at least twice 44 each year and at such other times as may be necessary. The working group 45 may establish quorum requirements and other rules and procedures regard- 46 ing conduct of its meetings and other affairs. 47 (e) If any appointments to the working group are not made by July 48 first, two thousand twenty-five, then the working group may proceed to 49 meet and fulfill its responsibilities, pursuant to this section, without 50 such appointees. 51 4. The working group shall have the following powers and responsibil- 52 ities: 53 (a) to assess the current state of artificial intelligence used by 54 school districts and charter schools, including all of the following: 55 (i) technologies most commonly in use; 56 (ii) the typical cost of such technologies; 
 A. 6972 3 1 (iii) the ownership structure of such technologies; 2 (iv) the ownership structure of pupil- and employee-created materials; 3 (v) the licensing agreements for those technologies; 4 (vi) the ability to access source code for those technologies; 5 (vii) the degree to which educators were involved in the decision to 6 use artificial intelligence; and 7 (viii) artificial intelligence as a topic of instruction in developing 8 class content. 9 (b) to assess the projected state of artificial intelligence use in 10 education, including anticipated and potential developments in artifi- 11 cial intelligence technology in education. 12 (c) to conduct at least three public meetings to incorporate feedback 13 from pupils, families, and relevant stakeholders into the assessment 14 required by this subdivision. Such public meetings may be held by tele- 15 conference. 16 (d) (i) to detail current uses of artificial intelligence in educa- 17 tional settings including through the identification of the following: 18 (1) examples of human-centered artificial intelligence that aid, 19 further, and improve teaching and learning, including in ways that do 20 not exacerbate existing inequities, and the work of educators; 21 (2) examples of human replacement artificial intelligence that could 22 negatively impact pupil development, jeopardize pupil data security, or 23 risk the jobs of educators; and 24 (3) examples of strategies to ensure that there are opportunities for 25 stakeholders to offer meaningful feedback before any given form of arti- 26 ficial intelligence is introduced to pupils or educators. 27 (ii) In performing the work required by this subdivision, the working 28 group shall solicit input from educators and pupils on their experience 29 using the technologies identified in paragraph (a) of this subdivision. 30 (e) to identify other ways in which the state can support educators in 31 developing and sharing effective practices that minimize risk and maxi- 32 mize benefits to pupils and educators, including, but not limited to, 33 establishing communities of practice on the use of artificial intelli- 34 gence in education. 35 (f) to make recommendations for legislative and administrative 36 proposals to further the findings of the working group. 37 5. (a) On or before January first, two thousand twenty-six, the work- 38 ing group shall develop guidance for school districts and charter 39 schools on the safe use of artificial intelligence in education. The 40 guidance shall address the following: 41 (i) academic integrity and plagiarism utilizing artificial intelli- 42 gence systems; 43 (ii) acceptable and unacceptable uses of artificial intelligence 44 systems by pupils and educators; 45 (iii) pupil and educator data privacy and data security; 46 (iv) parent and guardian access to information that pupils enter into 47 artificial intelligence systems; and 48 (v) procurement of software by school districts or charter schools 49 that ensures the safety and privacy of pupils and educators, and the 50 protection of their data; 51 (b) On or before July first, two thousand twenty-six, the working 52 group shall develop a model policy for school districts and charter 53 schools regarding the safe and effective use of artificial intelligence 54 in ways that benefit, and do not negatively impact, pupils and educa- 55 tors. This policy shall address the following: 
 A. 6972 4 1 (i) academic integrity and plagiarism utilizing artificial intelli- 2 gence systems; 3 (ii) acceptable and unacceptable uses of artificial intelligence 4 systems by pupils and educators; 5 (iii) pupil and educator data privacy and data security; 6 (iv) parent and guardian access to information that pupils enter into 7 artificial intelligence systems; 8 (v) procurement of software by school districts or charter schools 9 that ensures the safety and privacy of pupils and educators and their 10 data; 11 (vi) effective use of artificial intelligence to support, and avoid 12 risk to, teaching and learning; 13 (vii) effective practices to support, and avoid risk to, educators and 14 pupils; 15 (viii) strategies to ensure that artificial intelligence does not 16 exacerbate existing inequities in the education system; and 17 (ix) professional development strategies for educators on the use of 18 artificial intelligence. 19 6. The department shall post on its website the guidance developed and 20 the model policy for school districts and charter schools developed 21 pursuant to subdivision five of this section. 22 7. The working group shall be subject to article seven of the public 23 officers law. 24 8. On or before January first, two thousand twenty-seven, the working 25 group shall submit a report presenting the results of the assessments 26 preformed pursuant to subdivision four of this section, and a summary of 27 the working group's findings, conclusions and recommendations to the 28 governor, the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the 29 assembly. The working group shall be dissolved upon submission of the 30 report required by this subdivision. 31 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be 32 deemed repealed on January 31, 2031.