Politics
Henry Mack, Grazie Pozo Christie: Florida will not outsource childhood to a chatbot
Silicon Valley insiders have their own language, nearly incomprehensible to the uninitiated. Words like convergence, corrigibility, Goodharting, value-locking, and alignment pepper conversations that often end in a single question: “What’s your p(doom)?”
The answer is a social signal given in percentage points. A low p(doom) marks an AI optimist. A high one marks someone who is pretty sure advanced AI will cause an existential catastrophe.
We both follow the optimists online, not having the stomach for the other end of the spectrum. But no matter what your p(doom), we can all agree that AI is an unstoppable technological force destined to reshape society from top to bottom. It is already reshaping our classrooms.
That inescapable fact is why Florida became the first state not merely to issue “guidance” on a fait accompli—AI in the classroom—but to adopt binding rules on its deployment, from Pre-K through college. It would be madness to try to ban AI from the classroom, as it would have been madness to take a hammer to Gutenberg’s press. We intend to run with this revolution, not chase it. Indeed, it would be irresponsible for Florida to react to change arriving at exponential speed. Instead, we must plan and implement policies responsibly to protect student learning and shield students from Silicon Valley’s hubristic whims.
The nightmare scenario is the AI-run classroom — what Gov. Ron DeSantis has called “outsourcing childhood to a chatbot.” In that easily imagined world, academic content would align with the needs and ideals of Silicon Valley technocrats, not childhood. Warm human interactions with teachers that leave a mark for life would give way to addictive, easily manipulated relationships with fake companions simulating friendship. Parents would be locked out unless they hovered 24/7. Children would be harvested for interaction data, and that data would train commercial models.
The elitists in Silicon Valley must not be trusted to design Florida’s classrooms. Nor will we bury our heads in the sand. AI is already here. The question is: “Who governs AI?”
The new rule sets a statewide floor for AI in the classroom instead of 67 different School District experiments—and it addresses each of those concerns. In line with the parental rights that define Florida education, parents must be notified when an AI instructional tool will be used. More importantly, they will be asked to opt in, and if they don’t, an alternative learning tool of comparable quality will be made available to their child. The list of approved AI tools will be public. We have banned AI designed as a “companion”—software meant to create an emotional relationship, manipulate a child’s thinking, and attempt to meet a child’s social and emotional needs. Student data cannot be monetized, sold, or used to train commercial models.
We envision AI as a tool in the hands of human educators, and an excellent one. It is an enhancement. It is a supplement. It does not supplant. With the right guardrails, this technology can put already-strong learners on a higher trajectory and unlock the capacities of those in danger of being left behind. Used as a tool, AI can sharpen instruction instead of replacing learning—as it does when it writes the essay or does the thinking. Using AI responsibly will prepare children to flourish in a world where the technology is being woven into every nook and cranny. That means teaching them to use AI without letting AI use them.
An educated person can use a powerful tool without becoming dependent on it. That is the line Florida is drawing.
The new rule is not a complete policy. It is an excellent guardrail package. It puts Florida on the cutting edge of classroom AI while other states choose “wait and see.” Much still depends on each School District’s willingness and capacity to implement it well. Parental opt-in must be managed carefully. Non-AI alternatives must be chosen with real attention. Teacher use of AI — lesson planning, material generation — still needs sharper specification. Approved tools must be evaluated against a simple test: Are they actually improving student learning statewide?
We have made a strong start on a situation that rightfully makes parents anxious. Smart, affirmative responses to a world-upending technology should calm those fears—not fuel them.
So, the next time someone asks for your p(doom), you may be able to give them a smaller one. Florida is not leaving childhood to a chatbot.
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Henry Mack is Florida’s Commissioner of Education; Grazie Pozo Christie is a member of the Florida State Board of Education.
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