Happy Teen Tech Week 2026!As generative artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly pervasive in our work, there is a strong consensus among parents and guardians that they want to ensure their children are best prepared to navigate this new frontier.
According to a 2025 EdChoice survey, 65% of parents agreed that schools should be responsible in teaching students how to use AI. But the same EdChoice data highlights a worrying disconnect between parents’ aspirations and classroom realities. Only 22% of parents reported that AI programs were actually used in their child’s classes. This reluctance by educational institutions is understandable, as they lack clear guidance on how to properly incorporate this technology into their curriculum, sidestepping legitimate concerns about learning outcomes and safety. But distancing students from this increasingly popular tool is a disservice to their future careers and their ability to fully engage as members of society. The best way to prepare children for the next generation of work and life is to educate them.
There is considerable anxiety about this change in technology and how it will affect the job market. Fear of the unknown is natural. But history teaches us that technological revolutions don’t just eliminate jobs. they change it. The reality is that the next generation will need advanced proficiency in AI tools to succeed across the workforce. Tomorrow’s workforce will not necessarily be replaced by AI. They will be replaced by experts who know how to leverage AI effectively.
Therefore, AI cannot be treated as a fad or a digital contraband banned from school networks. If we want our students to be competitive in a technology-driven global economy, we need to safely and thoughtfully incorporate these technologies into our curriculum. Excluding children from learning how to use this evolving technology responsibly and creatively will only set them back in the long run.
Fortunately, a handful of companies and states across the country, including Google, Amazon, Meta, and the Louisiana Department of Education, are actively working to build frameworks and resources to support comprehensive AI education.
- Google has been at the forefront of building education technology for years, continually updating its suite of classroom tools to promote the responsible use of AI. This allows teachers to personalize learning while building AI competencies in their students.
- AWS has made significant investments in education infrastructure, ensuring schools have the secure, scalable cloud capabilities they need to run advanced AI applications. We also offer powerful training programs to help demystify cloud computing and machine learning for both students and educators.
- Meta is focused on democratizing access to these powerful tools. By prioritizing open source AI models and supporting a wide range of education initiatives, we are working to ensure the benefits of AI education reach students around the world.
- Louisiana provides a blueprint for how states can lead on this issue. By proactively engaging with state-level frameworks and guidance, we are ensuring educators have the support and resources they need to safely bring AI into the classroom, and setting an excellent standard for other state education departments to follow.
Looking ahead, it is increasingly important to focus on empowerment rather than fear. The wave of AI is already here and is reshaping life as we know it. By listening to parents, leveraging the resources provided by technology leaders, and responsibly integrating technology into the curriculum, we can create an education system that truly prepares students for the future.
