WASHINGTON –
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on April 23 aimed at bringing
artificial intelligence into K-12 schools in hopes of building a U.S. workforce equipped to use and advance the rapidly growing technology.
The directive, reported first by USA TODAY before Trump's signing, instructs the U.S. Education and Labor Departments to create opportunities for high school students to take AI courses and certification programs, and to work with states to promote AI education.
Trump also directed the Education Department to favor the application of AI in discretionary grant programs for teacher training, the National Science Foundation to prioritize research on the use of AI in education, and the Labor Department to expand AI-related apprenticeships.
"This is a big deal, because AI seems to be where it's at," Trump said before he signed the order in the Oval Office.
The order ‒ one of seven education-related directives Trump signed April 23 ‒ underscores an area of bipartisan concern: how best to incorporate AI into teaching. Both Democrats and Republicans have expressed fears about American students falling behind other nations, particularly China, as technology becomes more advanced and integrated into the workforce.
"We have literally trillions of dollars being invested in AI," Trump said. "Somebody today, a very smart person, said that AI is the way to the future. I don't know if that's right or not, but certainly very smart people are investing in it."
