GovTech: Is This Our 'Sputnik' Moment for AI in K-12?

The need for artificial intelligence-based K-12 education reform has never been greater, and President Donald Trump’s April 23 executive order, Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth, will be pivotal for maintaining our global competitiveness. But how the U.S. responds to this and other legislative directives will be critical in the coming years, as we prepare the next generation for leadership in an AI-driven world.

More than 550 state-level AI-related bills have been introduced this year across 45 states and Puerto Rico, but most of them have been directed at consumer safety, government use and synthetic information like deepfakes. Compared to AI regulation tied to innovation and commerce, education requires different degrees of oversight and objectives.

Leadership across government, education and industry in the U.S. must collaborate to develop a nimble strategy for providing students with the fundamental AI literacy skills needed to excel in this emerging AI-driven environment, and doing so may require a nationwide paradigm shift in our approach to education. It is clear that, in the worldwide AI landscape, China is the primary competitor when it comes to education, and the U.S. needs to keep pace.