AI products are surging through Canada's K-12 public education systems, and policy has not kept up. The lack of governance means there are no safety-by-design standards for AI platforms used in classrooms, inadequate safeguards for children's data, and no national plan to address the risks AI poses to young people's cognitive development.
The Canadian Teachers' Federation's (CTF/FCE) policy brief - Protecting Students, Educators, and Public Education in the AI Age summarizes four evidence-based areas of concern which the federal government needs to address:
1. The expropriation of student and educator data and the threat to Canada's digital sovereignty
2. Cognitive offloading among young learners and risks to our democracy and long-term prosperity
3. AI chatbots and companions designed to maximize engagement and the corresponding harms to children's mental health
4. Unregulated adoption of AI tools in schools reshaping digital divides and undermining the right to quality public education
For each concern, the brief offers concrete recommendations, from classifying children's data as sensitive-by-default to investing in national critical AI literacy programs, enforceable safety standards, and public digital learning platforms. The brief also examines how jurisdictions like the European Union and Australia are taking policy steps to better protect students, educators, and the quality of education. Canada has some catching up to do.
As the federal government rolls out its national AI strategy and accompanying legislation, the CTF/FCE calls for teachers and their unions to be genuine partners in every stage of the process, in order to protect human connection at the heart of teaching and learning.
Read the full policy brief below and join teachers across Canada in demanding safe, ethical policies for the responsible use of AI in public education.
