Anthropic, Microsoft and OpenAI fund new school to educate teachers on using AI

Leading artificial intelligence companies are stepping up their efforts to bring AI to schools across the U.S. 

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) on Tuesday announced the fall launch of the National Academy for AI Instruction, a $23 million endeavor backed by Anthropic, Microsoft and OpenAI, three main players in the generative AI revolution. 

“The direct connection between a teacher and their kids can never be replaced by new technologies, but if we learn how to harness it, set commonsense guardrails and put teachers in the driver’s seat, teaching and learning can be enhanced,”AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a release.

OpenAI has committed to giving $10 million over five years, while Microsoft will provide $12.5 million. Anthropic, meanwhile, will contribute $500,000 the first year, said Andrew Crook, a spokesperson for the AFT. 

The companies say the training academy will offer a space for educators to learn how to harness AI and implement it safely and ethically in their classrooms. The programming, designed by AI experts and educators, will include workshops, online courses and hands-on training sessions, according to the AFT.

Courses will begin this fall at the United Federation of Teachers’ facility in Manhattan, New York. Funding from the tech trio will also go toward the buildout of additional hubs throughout the U.S., which are set to open in 2030, according to Crook. UFT is an affiliate of AFT.

AFT said the academy will offer free virtual training to all 1.8 million members in its union, starting with K-12 educators. The federation’s ultimate goal is to train 400,000 educators — about 10% of the U.S. teaching workforce — at the in-person facility over the next five years. 

“We want to do it in a way that teachers can really master the tools,” Randi Weingarten, the president of AFT, told CBS MoneyWatch.