Preventing Unwise AI Investments That Pose Threats to Student Data
In the rapidly evolving world of education, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools is becoming increasingly common. Ken Shelton, Educational Strategist and Instructional Designer, emphasizes the importance of understanding educational goals before researching potential AI tools.
Shelton questions the distinction between responsible use and digital citizenship in schools, and he advocates for a proactive approach to piloting, testing, and refining AI tools. He suggests establishing an ongoing process for monitoring an AI platform to know its actions, interactions, and effectiveness.
When it comes to ensuring data privacy and mitigating risks related to vendor financial instability or platform shutdown, schools must adopt best practices. Here are five key strategies:
- Ensure Data Privacy and Security Compliance
- Use platforms with privacy protections meeting or exceeding state standards and relevant regulations such as FERPA and GDPR, emphasizing encryption of data in transit and at rest.
- Implement strong access controls such as role-based permissions and multi-factor authentication for all users — students, staff, and guests — to reduce unauthorized data access.
- Include audit logging, data residency controls, and clear data retention policies to maintain compliance and transparency about how data is managed.
- Select Purpose-Built Education AI Platforms
- Choose AI platforms designed specifically for education settings, which prioritize teacher control, privacy safeguards, and pedagogical integration, rather than generic AI tools.
- Use frameworks and evaluation tools like the Southern Regional Education Board’s AI Tool Procurement and Implementation Checklist to assess AI vendors for ethical use, instructional value, and safety before adoption.
- Vendor Financial Stability and Continuity Planning
- Conduct thorough due diligence on vendors’ financial health and business models to avoid disruptions due to company insolvency or platform shutdown.
- Plan for contingencies by establishing clear contractual terms regarding vendor responsibilities, data ownership, and access to data in the event of platform discontinuation.
- Avoid vendor lock-in by ensuring interoperability and data portability, so data can be migrated if switching providers becomes necessary.
- Ongoing Monitoring and Risk Management
- Establish a process for regular audits of AI tools to detect biases, ethical issues, and any technical problems to maintain trustworthiness over time.
- Maintain continuous security monitoring and incident response plans to quickly address breaches or downtime.
- Engage a cross-functional team including IT, legal, educators, and parents to monitor AI usage and compliance with privacy and ethical standards.
- Professional Development and Transparent Communication
- Invest in comprehensive educator training and cultivate a culture of teacher-led AI integration to ensure responsible tool usage, increasing overall program sustainability.
- Develop clear policies around acceptable AI use, data privacy, and bias detection to empower staff and reduce misuse risks.
- Maintain ongoing stakeholder engagement, including regular feedback loops with teachers, families, and students to align AI usage with educational goals and community values.
By prioritizing privacy, ethical use, vendor assessment, and readiness for change, schools can ensure AI adoption enhances teaching and learning while safeguarding student data and minimizing risks from vendor instability or technology failure. Shelton warns against unnecessary systems in possession of critical private information, and he advises using an AI platform to solve a problem, not to find problems to solve with the platform.
- In the realm of education, a teacher utilizes digital technology and artificial intelligence to provide instructional support for students in learning STEM subjects.
- The school ensures the AI platform, chosen for its educational value and safety, meets data privacy and security compliance by implementing encryption, access controls, and clear data retention policies.
- To mitigate risks associated with vendor instability, the school checks a potential AI platform's financial health and business model and plans contingencies to avoid disruptions in service or data loss.
- Ken Shelton, an educational strategist, advocates for regular monitoring, auditing, and assessment of AI tools to maintain their learning effectiveness and identify any biases or ethical issues.
- The school adopts a proactive approach towards AI tools, involving a cross-functional team that includes educators, IT professionals, legal experts, and parents in the selection, implementation, and continuous evaluation of these AI tools.
- In education-and-self-development environments, the use of AI platforms fosters a culture of responsible AI usage among students, increasing their awareness of digital citizenship and understanding of AI's role in enhancing learning and education.
