There are many damaging aspects of the budget bill , but one that has received inadequate attention is a provision passed by the House that would impose a 10-year ban on states or localities from limiting or regulating the use of the artificial intelligence in the classroom and beyond.

This provision is a naked giveaway to the tech billionaires who want unfettered control and even higher profits for their products. According to some reports, the Senate has now tweaked the language of the House bill, but still proposes punishing any state that attempts to control the use of AI by cutting its funding.

The unregulated use of AI in the classroom is a profound threat to student privacy, as these programs collect and commercialize students’ personal data. It is also a threat to the personal connection, feedback and engagement central to a quality education. AI is one of the few technologies whose inventors have warned that it poses a serious risk to humanity itself, including Nobel Prize winner Geoffrey Hinton, often called the godfather of AI.

In a joint letter, more than 200 state legislators expressed their “strong opposition” to any ban on regulating AI, joining a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general who expressed similar concerns.

Please write to your U.S. Senators today, to demand that they eliminate any language from the budget bill that would prevent or dissuade states and localities from passing laws on AI to protect the safety, education and the well-being of our children.  And please share this email with others who care.  Thank you!