LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Teachers and educators from across Kentucky gathered at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Lexington for the Kentucky Educational Development Corporation’s second annual AI Summit, focused on how to use artificial intelligence effectively and safely in schools.
Classroom efficiency and policy
AI education specialist Brian Buffington opened the summit by challenging attendees to rethink how technology can be applied in the classroom.
“Today I want you to dream: How can we use AI to do things that you can’t Google in the classroom?” Buffington said.
Dr. Rachel Holbrook, director of data services and AI at KEDC, said the organization is working with school districts to develop policies that balance safety and exploration.
“We’re working with school districts to help them create policies that teach safety and security while also letting kids explore and letting teachers explore. We don’t want teachers to be completely shut out,” Holbrook said.
Educators at the summit learned how AI can reduce administrative workloads such as email and presentation creation, freeing up time for one-on-one instruction with students.
Anthony Salcione, an instructional coach at Williamstown Schools, said the technology should be viewed as a supplement, not a replacement.
“We’re just talking about how we need to look at AI not as replacing humans, but how to enhance things that are currently being done. We don’t need to look at AI as replacing what we’re doing, we need to enhance and do things at a better speed or better ability than we’ve been able to do in the past,” Salcione said.
School security using AI
Security applications were also highlighted at the summit. Cameras from security technology company Verkada demonstrated using facial recognition and clothing identification to alert people to potential threats on school campuses.
Claire Gardella, account executive at Verkada, explained how the system works.
“You can focus on color, for example, a red shirt, and then you can dive into what looks like a woman. What happens is, depending on the number of cameras across a school or district, the system goes through all the cameras and shows you all the people that are paired with women,” Gardella said.
Verkada’s AI camera system is already in use in some Kentucky school districts. The company said the technology prevented security situations from occurring on school campuses.
AI as a career path
The summit also focused on hands-on learning tools, such as LEGO Education products that allow students to build and code to move blocks using AI.
Susan McGrath, solutions architect at LEGO Education, says early exposure to technology can open career doors.
“And maybe they’ll move into manufacturing, maybe engineering, maybe coding, maybe the arts. Like you said, you’re going to see AI in that technology everywhere,” McGrath said.
Holbrook said employers are already factoring AI literacy into hiring decisions.
“We’re already seeing jobs changing and AI being introduced. When we talk to employers, that’s just one of the skills they’re looking for in the workforce: Do you have experience with AI, do you know how to use it?” Holbrook said.
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