Earlier this month, Tennessee primary voters picked two women to face off in November’s gubernatorial election.¶
Democratic nominee Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green and Republican nominee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn have run on very different visions for public education. That includes the use of artificial intelligence in schools.¶
As part of a summer series on AI in the classroom, the Tennessee Firefly reached out to both candidates to ask how they view the technology and what guardrails they believe should be in place in schools. Senator Blackburn joined this week’s On the Fly podcast to present her views on the topic while Green responded to questions in writing.¶
What Place Should AI Have
Both candidates see the technology as providing benefits for teachers, but Green expressed notably more reservations about how students should be using AI in the classroom than Blackburn.¶
Green worries that artificial intelligence could be considered a substitute for fully staffed classrooms and lower-class sizes.¶
“Can AI help teachers with paperwork or offer a little extra practice? Sure. But let’s not pretend it's a silver bullet for the issues facing Tennessee teachers and students,” Green said. “We must ensure LLMs (large language models) aren't used as an inferior substitute for what our kids actually need: fully funded, fully staffed classrooms and schools, lower class sizes, 21st-century facilities, and fully paid and respected human teachers in every classroom.”¶
Blackburn, meanwhile, sees AI as the next technological revolution that will play an important role in the classroom, provided appropriate guardrails are created.¶
“When you go through, and you look at what have been the industrial revolutions in our country, you had agriculture, then you had industrial, that led us to automation, that led us to technology, and now we're in the emerging techs or the advanced technology…and AI is a part of that, which expands our ability to bring the world to our desktop,” Blackburn said. “In the classroom, we're going to see teachers use it to probably simplify some topics. We're going to see students use it for research, but it all has to be done with the proper guardrails in place.”¶
How Young is too Young
The age of students using AI is another key difference between the two candidates on this issue.¶
Green told the Firefly that she has “major reservations” about elementary- and middle-school-aged children using AI.¶
“As a mother of three school-aged children, I know kids need human interaction, real books, hands-on activities, and the freedom and support to use their own imaginations to learn how to think critically,” Green said. “When is it too young? Elementary and middle school are definitely too young to be relying on AI for any core learning. At that age, children are learning how to socialize, how to read human emotions, and how to problem-solve on their own. Handing an iPad running a chatbot to a child in elementary school isn't ‘innovation,’ it's a shortcut that stunts genuine cognitive and social growth.”¶
Blackburn laid out a different vision for younger students, arguing that, much like other subjects, education leaders will determine what type of AI use is “age-appropriate” for elementary and middle school students.¶
“I think a lot of that is going to depend on the utilization. You think about kids that are learning robotics, and they're middle school students that are doing that, not just high school students,” Blackburn said. “Just as we've decided what you do at certain stages with math or with science or with history, and it's a part of that curriculum, you're going to see AI as that type of curriculum. This is age-appropriate for this group and for that group. And I think as our teachers and our universities work on this, as they teach our college curricula for teachers, they will have a lot to say about what is age-appropriate for children.”¶
What Guardrails Do We Need
Both candidates stressed that guardrails are needed to ensure AI is appropriately in the classroom.¶
Green believes those guardrails need to ensure that tech companies can’t monetize the personal information of Tennessee children. She also stressed the need for transparency about how AI works and a few restrictions.¶
“AI should never be used for automated grading, student discipline, or behavioral tracking. Those are human responsibilities requiring empathy and accountability,” Green said.¶
Blackburn stressed that teachers need to be trained to protect children from potential dangers with AI. She also believes guardrails will be needed to ensure children learn “critical thinking skills” and aren’t simply using AI to do their work for them.¶
“Having AI as a research tool is one thing,” Blackburn said. “Allowing AI to do your homework for you is something else. We don't want that.”¶
The November general election will be held on November 3. Learn more about each candidate’s education positions on the Tennessee Firefly’s Governor’s Race Tracker.¶
This is the third in a series of stories on AI in the classroom. Previous stories looked at AI programs in use today and how universities are preparing future educators to use AI.¶
