Generative AI & The Future of Learning

Given the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and its inevitable impact on education, educators and policymakers must actively shape how AI is used to reimagine learning. AI’s impact is not passive; it is a tool that can either enhance or disrupt traditional educational models that are not serving all learners well. Teachers, administrators, and district leaders must engage with critical questions about equitable access to AI and its potential unintended consequences. Given that the mission of the Aurora Institute is to drive the transformation of education systems to ensure high-quality learning for all, we are particularly interested in how AI can be leveraged to advance competency-based education (CBE) and empower students as lifelong learners.

AI & CBE

CBE emphasizes student agency, personalized learning, self-efficacy, critical thinking, and metacognition – all of which are essential for engaging with AI in meaningful ways. AI is not just a tool for efficiency; it has the potential to transform when, where, and how learning occurs. AI literacy is crucial for future readiness, enabling students to critically evaluate AI-generated content, assess biases, and understand its ethical implications.

As schools integrate AI, they must go beyond managing its use to critically examining its purpose. Key questions to consider include: 

• Should AI simply improve efficiency or should it fundamentally redefine teaching and learning? 
• How can personalized learning be taken to the next level, allowing students to take even more ownership of their learning and use AI to explore new modalities of instruction? 
• What would it look like for students to move at their own pace, using AI to map out and achieve learning objectives?
• Within this new paradigm, how is the role of the teacher redefined, and who else can facilitate learning alongside students? 

How AI Can Support Educators in Reimagining Learning

AI is already functioning as a co-pilot for teachers, supporting differentiated instruction, scaffolding, and feedback loops. Platforms such as Playlab AI enable educators to join online professional learning communities (PLC), design classroom-specific AI tools, and experiment with new approaches. TeachFX, an AI-powered tool, provides teachers with data-driven insights into their classroom discussions by analyzing student talk time, engagement levels, and questioning strategies. This allows educators to adjust their teaching in real-time to encourage more student participation.

However, many teachers may lack access to the professional development needed to effectively use AI, making these kinds of PLCs essential for exploration and support. Recent surveys indicate that AI adoption in classrooms is growing. For instance, a 2023 study by RAND corporation found that only 18% of teachers regularly use AI tools, with an additional 15% having tried them. Meanwhile, a 2024 survey by Study.com reported that 84% of educators were actively using AI in their classrooms. This sharp increase suggests growing interest but also raises questions about disparities in professional development – are  teachers receiving structured support to integrate AI effectively or are they experimenting on their own? Professional learning communities such as Playlab AI can help bridge this gap, ensuring that all educators, regardless of their school’s resources, have the opportunity to build AI literacy and apply it meaningfully in their teaching. 

AI enables greater customization of lessons, adaptive assessments, and real-time feedback, allowing students to engage more deeply in their learning. However, access to these benefits is not equitable. Disparities in funding mean that well-resourced schools are more likely to implement AI-driven tools, while underfunded districts may lack the infrastructure, devices, or broadband access necessary for AI integration. Additionally, AI systems trained on biased data can reinforce existing educational inequities, disproportionately disadvantaging historically underserved students. As noted above, there are also concerns about AI literacy – while some educators receive professional development on AI integration, many lack the training to use these tools effectively, widening the digital divide. Ensuring AI supports all learners requires intentional investment in accessibility and teacher training to bridge these gaps.

The integration of AI must be thoughtful, addressing concerns about equity, bias, and data security while ensuring that students and teachers have access to these transformative tools.

How Schools & Organizations Are Moving Forward: Case Studies

Specific examples can help us to think through how to engage with the questions and possibilities around AI in practice. At the 2024 Aurora Symposium in New Orleans, it was instructive to hear about the AI journeys of school systems and educational organizations.

Iowa City’s Phased Approach to AI Implementation 

Iowa City has taken a thoughtful, phased approach to integrating AI into its educational framework, beginning in Spring 2023 with the establishment of AI guidelines anchored in three overarching goals: 

• Supporting teachers in leveraging AI effectively while avoiding potential pitfalls associated with student access to generative AI.
• Creating a structured framework for evaluating AI platforms with a focus on data privacy and bias.
• Identifying ways AI can streamline instructional workflows and support diverse learners.

In fall 2023, the district deepened its AI exploration by engaging in community conversations and conducting interviews with students and teachers to capture multiple perspectives. These discussions informed the development of policies and best practices tailored to the district’s needs.

By spring 2024, Iowa City had refined its AI policies and developed comprehensive student and teacher guidelines for responsible AI use. The district updated board policies to be inclusive and responsive to AI and launched dedicated teacher cohorts at the elementary and secondary levels. These cohorts aimed to expand teacher capacity with AI-powered tools, refine instructional strategies, and critically examine AI’s ethical implications in the classroom.

During summer 2024, the district moved into an active implementation phase, equipping students and teachers with AI curricula designed for four grade-level bands (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12). Additionally, an AI Champions program was launched to build foundational AI literacy, develop practical AI skills for classroom application, and train educators to critically evaluate AI tools and outputs.

In the 2024-2025 school year, Iowa City officially rolled out its AI Student and Teacher Guidelines, starting with 6th-12th grade ELA teachers, who are now piloting and providing feedback on the guidelines. Elementary and secondary principals have also reviewed them, and the district plans to integrate these guidelines into student handbooks by the 2025-2026 school year. Simultaneously, the district continues to vet instructional technology for full-scale implementation, ensuring AI tools align with educational goals and ethical considerations.

Iowa City’s structured and inclusive approach demonstrates a commitment to responsible AI integration – balancing innovation with equity, privacy, and pedagogical integrity.

Digital Promise’s AI Product Certification 

Digital Promise is developing a certification process for AI tools to ensure ethical and transparent use in education. Their framework includes:

• Transparency in data collection.
• Data security policies, including encryption.
• Diverse training datasets to avoid bias in AI models.
• Bias monitoring, with clear documentation of mitigation efforts.
• AI usage labels to distinguish human- and AI-generated content.
• Educator override options, preserving teacher agency in AI-assisted instruction.
• Age-appropriate AI training for students.

These initiatives, as well as ones shared by Chris Sturgis in her reflections on AI sessions at Aurora’s Symposium 2024, highlight the need for structured approaches to AI integration, balancing innovation with ethical considerations.

A Call to Action: Shaping AI’s Role in Education

AI is here to stay. How do we ensure it supports student-centered, competency-based 

education rather than replacing the human elements of teaching and learning? Educators, policymakers, and students all play a role in shaping AI’s impact. Common concerns include fears that teachers will be replaced by AI tutors or that students will rely on AI to do their work. To address these concerns, here are examples of the kinds of questions we must ask:

• What policies and frameworks should guide AI integration in education systems?
• How can we ensure AI literacy for all students?
• How can we prepare educators to navigate AI’s opportunities and risks?
• How can we ensure AI is trained on diverse, equitable datasets?
• How can schools move beyond discussions of cheating to embrace AI as a tool for creativity and learning?
• How can we set boundaries for when we use AI and when we don’t? 
• How can we study the impacts of different uses of AI on learning?
• How can we address student concerns that they lack access to AI training, and that they are not learning the AI skills necessary to secure jobs following graduation? 

Conclusion: A Learning Mindset in the Age of AI

Navigating AI’s rapid evolution can be overwhelming, but engagement is key. Education systems can embrace continuous improvement and develop frameworks for responsible AI adoption. The speed at which AI is advancing necessitates an equally dynamic response from education systems.

Ultimately, AI integration challenges us to rethink the purpose of education itself. Emerging models, such as Max Haining’s 100 School, suggest that future careers may rely more on AI-assisted skill acquisition. However, even in an AI-driven world, human creativity, ethical reasoning, and social-emotional intelligence remain indispensable.

Recognizing the transformative potential of AI in education, I embarked on my own learning journey – one I share in a related blog post. 

Learn More

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Competency-Based Education (CBE), According to an AI Language Model
• Chicago Students Build Key Adaptive Competencies while Exploring the Boundaries of AI and Creativity
• Busting Barriers with AI

Loretta Goodwin, Ph.D. was the Aurora Institute’s Chief Operating Officer, overseeing programmatic work, talent development, DEI work, and supporting implementation of the strategic plan. Prior to joining Aurora, Dr. Goodwin was the Deputy Director at the American Youth Policy Forum, focused on promoting equitable education for all young people. An educator and lifelong learner at heart, she has worked consistently in the fields of education to transform learning opportunities for young people.