H.R. 10042: Understanding AI in the Classroom Act

This bill would require the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to hold workshops within 18 months of enactment about the use of artificial intelligence in classrooms.

What the workshops would examine

The workshops would be designed to identify gaps in existing data and published research on possible effects or harms of AI when used in schools, especially for children. Topics would include:

• Whether AI affects children’s attention spans and ability to learn independently.
• Possible effects on cognitive, social, emotional, or behavioral development.
• Whether children may become overly dependent on AI or misjudge how much they should trust it.
• Whether the effects differ based on a child’s age, vulnerabilities, or characteristics of the AI system itself, including sycophancy (when AI tends to agree with or flatter the user).

Who may be involved

The NSF Director may include input from:

• Researchers
• Educators
• School leaders
• Parent groups
• Other people the Director considers appropriate

Report to Congress

Within 6 months after the workshops are completed, the NSF Director must submit a report to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and also publish it publicly. The report must describe any research or information gaps identified in the workshops.

What the bill does not do

The bill does not set rules for how schools can use AI, ban AI in classrooms, or require schools to adopt any specific technology. It is mainly a study-and-report bill focused on gathering information about AI’s effects on children in educational settings.

Relevant Companies

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