Wednesday, April 3, 2024

CARSON CITY, Nev. – The Nevada Department of Education is holding a series of town hall meetings statewide to gather feedback about the use of artificial intelligence in educational settings.

Meetings began March 26 in Clark County to seek input on ethical considerations related to the use of artificial intelligence (A.I.) in preschool through 12th grade education.

“About once a generation, a technological innovation explodes on the scene, disrupts our worldview, and alters how we live, work, and play,” said Jhone Ebert, Superintendent of Public Instruction. “For instance, when personal computers burst on the scene, they transformed how we access and process information. Today, the most recent advance to our world is artificial intelligence.”

“Students of today need a grasp of artificial intelligence,” Ebert said. “This set of policies will provide the guardrails that guide how AI is treated within schools across our state.”

The Department formed a task force in January called the Nevada A.I. Alliance.

The task force’s objectives include facilitating focus group feedback sessions, and developing an ethics statement, guidance and resources for preK-12 educators, and an international A.I. in education conference.

The first phase of the project, which includes town hall meetings and developing an A.I. ethics statement, is slated for completion by late June.

A series of invitation-only town hall meetings are being held in person and virtually to gather feedback from school administrators, educators, education support personnel, students, families, community members, and industry experts.

Meetings in Clark County are scheduled to continue this week. Sessions will also be held this month in Humboldt County, Carson City, and Washoe County.

A statewide virtual town hall meeting will be held in early May.

The Nevada A.I. Alliance’s work is supported by a $100,000 grant from Nevada Community Foundation.

“On behalf of our anonymous donor, Nevada Community Foundation is pleased to support the Department of Education’s initiative to thoughtfully explore the introduction of AI into Nevada classrooms,” said Gian Brosco, president of Nevada Community Foundation.

“A.I. is clearly a powerful tool for learning, but we acknowledge it must be used ethically and responsibly to ensure its use in the classroom is additive,” Brosco said. “We appreciate our partnership with the Department of Education and its thoughtful approach to ensuring students in the Silver State can take advantage of this transformative learning tool guided by policies designed to safeguard academic integrity while allowing students to benefit from this exciting new tool to advance their education and better position themselves for future employment.”

Nevada Community Foundation is today one of the country’s fastest-growing community foundations with more than $300 million in managed funds.

The nonprofit serves as fiscal sponsor and philanthropic advisor to Southern Nevada’s leading families and philanthropists.

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About the Nevada Department of Education

The Nevada Department of Education (NDE) leads and collaborates with Nevada’s 17 school districts and the State Public Charter School Authority to advance educational equity Statewide. With offices in Carson City and Las Vegas, NDE oversees all pre-K-12 education in the State, working to achieve its mission to improve student achievement and educator effectiveness by ensuring opportunities, facilitating learning, and promoting excellence. Under the leadership of the State Board of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, NDE impacts the achievement of nearly half a million children and 30,000 educators. Learn more at https://doe.nv.gov/ and join us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.