NEWS: Ranking Member Blunt Rochester Questions Experts on AI in K-12 Education

“We should be gathering as much accurate information as possible in order to make informed decisions that will keep our students safe and help them succeed, as well as support our educators.” Click here to watch Senator Blunt Rochester’s Remarks U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee’s Subcommittee on Education and the American Family, today led her fellow Democrats at a hearing titled “The Future of K-12 Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” She discussed how AI is rapidly changing K-12 education and what this will mean for the students of today and tomorrow, including her granddaughter. She also highlighted her request for a Government Accountability Office investigation in AI and K-12 education and how Delaware’s Department of Education is leading on integrating AI into the classroom. Senator Blunt Rochester’s full remarks and exchange can be found here . Senator Blunt Rochester’s opening statement, as delivered, is below: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you so much to you and your team for partnering with us on a hearing that I think is vitally important for our country. I also want to thank the witnesses for being here as well. “Before I get into my formal remarks, I want to begin by acknowledging today’s announcement that the Department of Education is attempting to follow through on Secretary McMahon’s plan to shut down the Department by transferring some of the core functions like protecting students’ civil rights and students with disabilities to other agencies without the approval of Congress. I strongly oppose those actions, and I’ll continue to call on our Chairman Cassidy to bring Secretary McMahon before our committee to discuss these moves, to be held accountable, and to make sure that our American education system is strong and protects our children. “The hearing today, I think, is one that is very timely. We find ourselves in a moment of great uncertainty. You could call it a tale of two virtual realities. Some people are afraid we’re going to have a Star Trek moment; some people are afraid it’s going to be the terminator. We want to make sure that it is in the best interest of our students and our educators, and artificial intelligence seems to be everywhere. Our schools, our classrooms, and our students’ homes are no exception. Yet, as AI reaches all parts of our lives, there are unanswered questions about its impacts, and the stakes are getting even higher alongside them. “That is why I’m so glad that we’re holding the hearing today, and why I was so pleased to work with the Chairman and Senator Kaine to request that investigation by the Government Accountability Office on the current state of AI and K-12 education. I believe we should be gathering as much accurate information as possible in order to make informed decisions that will keep our students safe and help them succeed, as well as support our educators. “I come to this topic both as a ranking member of the subcommittee, but also as a grandmother. I have a granddaughter who is now three years old and will be educated in an AI age, and that means she’s growing up with new things than what we had. When she graduates from high school in 2039, I want her to be able to be creative and have critical thinking skills to succeed. I want her to be interested in learning and understand that not all questions can be answered instantaneously. I want her to have the understanding of what it means to go to work, to start a business. and what careers are out there in this rapidly changing economy. “Alongside my dreams for my granddaughter, and for all students in this country, I also have concerns. The impact of AI will have on cognitive development, and learning is not well understood, and some experts are sounding the alarm that cognitive skills are being negatively affected. The guidelines about what safe and ethical AI should look like in the classroom are not well defined and vary greatly from place to place, yet reports show that 84% of high school students are using generative AI for schoolwork. Similarly, reports find that 85% of teachers are using AI in their work. I know teachers are looking for professional development opportunities and clear guidance to support safe and effective use of AI. “Schools, districts, states across this country are trying to craft responsible guidance and identify AI tools that will support student learning while protecting their civil rights, mental health, and data privacy. My home state of Delaware is doing amazing work on this front, and I look forward to hearing from Secretary Cindy Martin about how our state is leading on this issue. Importantly, I think all of us here want to know what we as Congress can do to support the work, and I hope that this hearing helps us better understand the challenges and the opportunities that AI presents in education. With that, I yield back.”