Blue books won’t save our children from AI

June 10, 2026 - 01:43

The federal government needs to act now on human-centered AI regulations before it is too late to protect children and keep human decision-making in the loop. Relying on old-fashioned blue books and traditional testing methods will not shield students from the rapid changes brought by artificial intelligence. Lawmakers must reauthorize the Every Student Succeeds Act with updated provisions that address how AI tools are reshaping classrooms, homework, and even critical thinking.

Without clear rules, children are already exposed to AI systems that can collect their data, influence their behavior, and replace genuine learning with automated shortcuts. The current approach of letting tech companies self-regulate has failed. Schools are scrambling to adapt, but they cannot do it alone. A federal framework is needed to ensure AI serves students rather than exploiting them.

The reauthorization of the Every Student Succeeds Act offers a clear opportunity to embed these protections. It should require transparency about AI use in educational software, mandate human oversight for any automated decisions affecting a child's academic path, and fund teacher training on digital literacy. If Congress waits too long, the window to preserve human agency in education will close. Blue books and paper tests are not the answer, but neither is an unregulated AI free-for-all. The balance must come from deliberate, human-centric policy.