Fireside Chat: What should be the relationship of AI & EdTech to education?

Rather than accepting the inevitability of AI in education, the panelists called for critical examination of whose interests these technologies serve. They emphasized that AI has been present in schools for 70 years under different names, and current generative AI tools primarily benefit tech companies seeking access to student data. The discussion highlighted the need for educator and student agency in resisting harmful implementations while building community-centered alternatives that prioritize human dignity over technological solutions.

"AI has been in schools now for 70 years. Anybody who wants to tell you a story that all of a sudden, in 2022, AI magically appeared is selling a story of fear and FOMO." - Audrey Watters

"They want student data, because it's the final frontier that they cannot conquer, and they are, like, colonizers. They want to colonize the education system." - Shana V White

• How might educators create spaces for student choice and critical engagement with AI rather than mandated adoption? What would meaningful consent look like in your educational context?
• The conversation revealed tensions between AI as potentially helpful for accessibility and AI as perpetuating systemic inequities. How do you navigate the complexity of tools that might provide individual accommodations while contributing to broader systems of harm? What questions should educators ask when evaluating assistive technologies?
• The panel discussed AI's environmental impact, including water usage and community harm (specifically mentioning Memphis). How should educators weigh these broader social and environmental costs when making decisions about classroom technology use? What responsibility do schools have to consider the global impacts of their technology choices?