On September 9th, the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, Evan Solomon, unveiled Canada's National AI Literacy Initiative, delivered in partnership with the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii). The Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF/FCE) welcomes federal investment in K-12 educators. But the initiative asks teachers to integrate AI into K-12 classrooms before anyone, government included, can say whether these tools are safe and beneficial for learning. AI for All: Essentials for Educators encourages the adoption of a technology that is unregulated, untested, and changing faster than any course can keep up with.
Adoption before guardrails
The first chapter of Essentials for Educators places the onus on educators to become AI literate so they can "consider whether AI tools have a place in [their] classroom, which tools are appropriate, ... and where clear boundaries are needed." The course description implies it will empower educators to make responsible choices about AI use, but sidesteps whether or not these products are safe and beneficial for learning in the first place.
Chapters still in development further push teachers towards tech with topics like "practical classroom workflow integration," "fostering student future-readiness," and "ethical AI adoption grounded in global standards." But who decides what ethical AI adoption looks like in Canadian classrooms? Educators should not be expected to evaluate the safety of complex AI systems that developers themselves struggle to understand. The government must ensure the course takes a critical and cautious stance on AI use in K-12, including clarifying that accountability rests with tech companies to deploy AI products that are ethical and effective by design.
The myth of responsible use
Emerging research warns that AI use in the classroom may do more harm than good. This month, the OECD acknowledged the drop in reading scores among 15-year-olds is associated with increased reliance on AI and digital technology. Studies also suggest AI can reduce teaching quality and weaken the teacher-student relationship. In British Columbia, more than 80% of teachers worried that students will become overly dependent on AI or lose critical thinking skills. Nevertheless, Amii promises their course will help teachers "tend a thriving digital classroom ecosystem." With growing evidence of AI risks, how will Amii meaningfully guide educators to embed systems in an age-appropriate, pedagogically-sound way?
The course's first module notes that "AI can make some kinds of work easier or faster and can offer students new forms of support," but concedes that "sometimes the practice, decision-making, problem-solving, and sustained thinking involved in doing the work are themselves important parts of learning." Not sometimes. Always. A program that treats essential parts of learning as optional is not ready to guide teachers on the appropriate pedagogical use of risky technologies. The CTF/FCE calls on Amii and the federal government to open the five chapters of Essentials for Educators that are in development for review from educators across Canada, so they have a clear voice in how AI literacy takes shape in their classrooms.
Prioritize impact over scale
Amii aims to reach 50,000 K-12 educators with their AI literacy course by 2031, but says nothing about how they will measure its impact. Which educators will they reach, and how? What feedback have educators offered on the content, and how will this inform ongoing refinement? As teachers across the country struggle to navigate the rapid onslaught of AI, we need clarity on how online, self-paced AI literacy courses will address their professional needs. The CTF/FCE calls for transparent evaluations of the national AI literacy program. Honest, public impact reports will help the government earn the trust of educators, students, and families across the country.
The CTF/FCE is ready to engage with the federal government, Amii, and the broader public to co-develop AI programs that are democratic and grounded in safety and human rights.
