Parents and students are increasingly concerned about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the classroom, particularly facial recognition technology, according to a survey by the Center for Democracy and Technology. technology, CDT).

The CDT report, released Dec. 12, finds that more than half of parents and students surveyed are concerned about the use of facial recognition and other artificial intelligence technologies, including location tracking systems, in schools.

Teachers, who were also surveyed, showed a higher degree of acceptance of technologies.

According to the report, a growing number of schools have implemented such tools.

Supporters of these technologies say they can help protect school environments from violent threats, such as school shooters.

Privacy advocates argue that technologies that pose a risk to students' privacy and personal data have not been proven to increase security in schools.

A deep divide between schools, parents and students

According to the CDT, “experimental and potentially dangerous security tools are being used without considering the concerns of students and parents,” including technologies “that we previously considered too extravagant.”

These include predictive analytics, remote monitoring, facial recognition, law enforcement data sharing, weapon detection systems and student geolocation.

Driven by [the] AI industry, these technologies “are being deployed in schools to respond to mass shootings, the youth mental health crisis, and other ongoing threats to the safety of staff and students. students,” the CDT said — an “alarming” trend that sees schools continuing to deploy these technologies despite “high levels of concern” from parents and students.

These “high levels of concern” were evident in the survey results:

58% of parents and 55% of students (and 33% of teachers) are concerned about the use of facial recognition cameras to verify who should be allowed into a school building or who is allowed to be there.
71% of parents and 74% of students (and 36% of teachers) expressed concern about the use of these technologies to physically locate students.
60% of parents and 58% of students (and 31% of teachers) are concerned about the use of AI cameras “to notice unusual or irregular physical movements.”
55% of parents and 45% of students (and 27% of teachers) expressed concern about the use of these technologies to detect gunshots on school grounds.
69% of students and parents (and 36% of teachers) are concerned that student data is analyzed to predict which students are most likely to commit a crime, violent act, or self-harm .
66% of parents and 65% of students (and 38% of teachers) expressed concern that students' academic information, such as grades and attendance, would be shared with law enforcement.
68% of parents and 71% of students (and 37% of teachers) are concerned about the use of these technologies to monitor students' social media accounts.

These results show “a deep disconnect between the priorities of schools, parents and students when it comes to edtech [educational data and technology] purchasing decisions,” writes the CDT.

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