America's largest teachers union seeks to push DEI into educational AI for classroom use: Defending Education

A new report from Defending Education has outlined how America’s largest teachers’ unions and education associations are taking steps to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) ideology into artificial intelligence before AI is widely adopted in schools across the nation. 

Nonprofit education advocay group Defending Education found that these groups have argued that AI systems are typically created by white or Asian men, "and as a result, the answers that AI systems may provide to students or educators will be influenced by these specific white and Asian men who created them." These groups are attempting to counteract this supposed "algorithmic bias."

The National Education Association (NEA), America’s largest teachers’ union, has a number of offerings for educators in its AI in Education Hub. The union claims to offer "trusted guidance, tools, and professional learning opportunities to help educators navigate the evolving role of artificial intelligence in schools and classrooms." It adds, "Grounded in equity, ethics, and educator voice, this website brings together policy resources, classroom strategies, and practical support to ensure AI serves all students and empowers the educators who teach them."

Courses offered by the NEA claim that AI produces biased answers based in the beliefs of its creator. One course, titled "When Technology Isn’t Neutral: Understanding AI and Bias," claims to teach how "AI systems reflect human decisions and data," and how to identify "how bias in data or design can lead to unfair or inaccurate outcomes."

Additionally, the NEA has created a sample school board policy that districts across the nation can adopt, which would "mandate for DEI to be integrated into AI programs before schools can use them," Defending Education said. The sample policy states, "This policy establishes guidelines for the ethical, equitable, and effective integration of artificial intelligence technologies in district schools to enhance both administrative functions and teaching and learning for all students and educators."

The policy defines algorithmic bias as the "'systemic, unwanted unfairness in how a computer detects patterns or automates decisions,' often based on characteristics and identities such as age, class, culture, disability status, ethnicity, gender, location, nationality, political affiliation, race, religious background and practices, and/or sexuality." The policy states that AI tools and systems being used will undergo regular audits "to identify and mitigate biases."

Under a section titled "Vendor and Tool Selection," the policy states that "The District shall require all vendors of AI tools and resources to meet district standards for transparency, equity, and ethical decision-making. AI tools and resources shall only be adopted once there is data supporting a tool’s appropriateness and efficacy with potential users and, for instruction-focused AI, its alignment with high-quality teaching and learning standards and practices."

The NEA also has a "Task Force on Artificial Intelligence in Education," which has proposed a policy statement for the union to adopt that states "AI-informed analyses and data alone should never be used for high-stakes or determinative decisions," with decisions being made by people "who must consider equity, diversity, access, human rights, and other appropriate contextual considerations."

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has similarly pushed for DEI in AI use in schools. The 2024 guidance titled "Commonsense Guardrails for Using Advanced Technology in Schools" stated that a guardrail in place must be that "Technologies must be deployed so that they advance equity and fairness in public education and cannot be adopted so that they widen, rather than help close, the digital divide and other inequities in our schools." 

AFT also names "algorithmic bias" as an issue, stating that "Educators should teach students to understand their own responsibility when sharing information, recognizing the potential impact of spreading inaccurate content. Educators can encourage constructive dialogues about media ownership, algorithmic biases, and the responsibilities of platforms and journalists."

In 2025, the AFT said, "AI has the potential to help personalize instruction, reduce administrative burden and make learning more engaging, but without proper guardrails it can perpetuate bias, invade privacy, and undermine educational equity, job security and the professional judgment of educators." The resolution from the group called for, among other things, a national institute that guards "against threats such as surveillance, bias and disinformation." 

Teachers unions in California and New York, as well as the United Federation of Teachers in New York City, have similarly pushed for such policies, in addition to the American Association of School Administrators and the National Association of Elementary School Principals.