New report uncovers education groups' DEI push to shape how artificial intelligence is used in classrooms

FIRST ON FOX: The nation's top teacher unions and education groups are allegedly embedding diversity, equity and inclusion principles into AI guidance for classrooms as schools increasingly adopt the technology, according to a sweeping report.

The report by Defending Education, an education watchdog, examines AI guidance, model policies and training materials from the National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and other education groups, arguing they promote AI policies in the classroom centered on "equity" and "algorithmic bias."

"Teachers unions and associations like the NEA and AFT at this point are nothing more than left-wing political operations funneling millions of dollars into promoting divisive DEI and gender ideologies in classrooms," Defending Education investigative reporter Casey Ryan told Fox News Digital.

Ryan said the education groups are seeking "to use AI as their next frontier to reach school children in an effort to promote their worldview onto America's next generation," adding that they want to shape AI before it becomes widely used in classrooms.

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"We cannot allow that to happen," he said. "It is imperative that concerned parents and families speak up now to ensure that the integration of AI into our schools benefits all students, rather than serve as another tool to enforce a problematic agenda."

According to the report, "algorithmic bias" is the belief that AI reflects the views of its creators, often "White or Asian men," prompting education groups to promote "equity" in AI used in classrooms to "ensure that students receive politicized answers and receive a politicized education."

"The integration of AI into education is not a matter of if but when," the report said.

Researchers found the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), which represents more than 1.8 million members, launched the National Academy for AI Instruction, a $23 million initiative with Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic that the report said is designed to establish AI "guardrails" for educators.

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"These are three of the largest corporations building AI that are used on a global scale and are the AI programs already used by many school districts," the report said.

According to the report, a 2025 AFT resolution warned that AI "has the potential to help personalize instruction, reduce administrative burden and make learning more engaging, but without proper guardrails it can perpetuate bias, invade privacy, and undermine educational equity, job security and the professional judgment of educators."

"This program is imbued with the idea from AFT’s resolution that ‘bias’ and ‘equity’ are issues within AI in schools," the report said.

Researchers examined the NEA's AI in Education Hub, which the union says is "grounded in equity, ethics, and educator voice," along with a model policy requiring AI vendors to meet standards for "transparency, equity, and ethical decision-making" and undergo audits for "algorithmic bias."

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The report highlights the California Teachers Association’s (CTA) role in developing state AI guidance for K-12 schools that recommends educators "approach AI with an equity lens" while addressing concerns about "equity, bias, and access," and describes AI education as a way to address "systemic bias."

The report also cites articles published by the American Association of School Administrators discussing AI's ties to "White males" and the "New Jim Code."

The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) published an article encouraging schools to ask AI vendors how they address "algorithmic biases," while the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) said AI tools should "advance and do not undermine equity," according to the report.

"The goal of these organizations is to embed DEI into AI tools to ensure that students receive politicized answers and receive a politicized education in the nation’s classrooms," the report said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the AFT, NEA, CTA, AASA, NAESP and NASSP for comment.