Chicago Public Schools shifts 2026 AI rollout
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As Chicago Public Schools students return to class Monday, the role of AI in the district remains under debate, with one AI literacy app in place and a high school chatbot getting the boot.
Why it matters: The discontinuation of these programs could have a significant impact on how CPS students learn. And local questions on the issue reflect wider debates lawmakers and education officials are having around the country.
The big picture: Issues around AI and kids are driving lawsuits, statewide education protocols and even a petition to curb the technology's use in CPS — one that has already been signed by half of school board candidates.
Driving the news: Last week, teachers learned CPS scrapped plans to give high school students Gemini chatbots on their Google Classroom accounts this year.
- Illinois Families for Public Schools, a nonprofit, welcomed the news and suggested it played a role.
- "We appreciate this rapid reversal. We began sharing information about this rollout just over two weeks ago and made an action tool available on August 13th for parents to write to the district about it," IFPS said in a statement.
Yes, but: CPS officials say they made the decision in May.
- It came after CPS AI committees raised questions about district readiness for the chatbot and teachers in three schools tried it out as part of a Gemini Early Adopters program.
- Still, CPS may activate the chatbot on a more individualized basis this year.
- A district document says CPS "has shifted to a future-readiness model, working directly with individual schools on potential rollouts tailored to their specific needs."
What's next: IFPS says its members will keep asking CPS how much student data the district is sharing with Google.
- They also remain concerned about an AI-assisted elementary school literacy tool called Amira that has raised questions in other districts, while local officials say it conforms with CPS guidance.
- IFPS continues to urge board candidates to sign a pledge to pause use of generative AI in the district for three years.