Utah introduces AI tools in classrooms statewide

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah classrooms are preparing for a major shift in how artificial intelligence is used in teaching and learning, with a new statewide partnership bringing Google's Gemini for Education into public schools starting next school year.

The Utah State Board of Education said the rollout will reach roughly 680,000 students and about 28,000 educators across the state. Officials said the goal is to integrate artificial intelligence into both classroom instruction and student learning in a controlled, school-managed environment.

The tools are designed to support teachers by helping them build lesson plans, create classroom materials, and streamline instructional work. Students will also have access to AI-assisted learning resources, with an emphasis on responsible use and data privacy protections.

Matthew Winters, an artificial intelligence education specialist with the Utah State Board of Education, said protecting student information is a key priority in the rollout.

"(We) want to make sure the tools that are available to students have the best safety and security for their data to protect them as students," Winters said.

Beyond classroom use, state leaders are focusing on AI literacy — helping students understand not only how to use artificial intelligence tools but also how the systems behind them work in everyday life.

"We don't just mean generative AI. That's our ChatGPTs, our Geminis, those sorts of things," Winters said. "We want to think about things like machine learning, things like applying for jobs or applying for insurance and have machine learning mechanisms."

Winters said AI already influences many systems students will encounter beyond school, including job applications and consumer services.

"It's one of those things that's in the background of a lot of things that we do, and so, learning how to have that literacy, that fluency and understand(ing) what it does in our systems, both educationally and as a consumer, is really, really powerful," he said.

State leaders said the rollout is designed to prepare students for a future where artificial intelligence is part of everyday learning and careers.

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