BU, nonprofit team up to build AI Ethics Index for schools

Between the lines: There's no independent safety standard governing the use of AI tools by children.

• Just Horizons Alliance, a nonprofit founded by BU professor Wesley Wildman and led by him and Janet Kang, a former corporate venture partner, wants to create it.

Driving the news: BU announced a partnership between its Wheelock College of Education & Human Development and Just Horizons Alliance, in collaboration with BU's Center for Computing & Data Sciences.

• Wheelock dean Penny Bishop and Kang, Just Horizons Alliance's executive director, signed a three-year agreement Friday as part of Boston Tech Week to build the index.

Zoom in: A team of computer scientists, data engineers and social scientists will build a system that analyzes AI-driven tools being marketed to children and K-12 schools, measuring their effect on mental health, compliance with education privacy laws, and other metrics.

• From there, they plan to build a database that compiles the list of products and their scores on the index.

What they're saying: "We look at the code. We also look at the psychological and social impact on the ground," Kang told dozens in BU's "jenga" building Friday.

• Kang repeatedly said she believes in the promise of AI and its ability to improve student learning.
• The problem, she said, is that "teachers are being asked to use AI purely based on vendor promises, marketing materials and demos — not independent evidence."

What we're watching: The team plans to develop the index for K-12 schools, but Kang and others said they could someday apply the tool to other industries.