Recently, the non-profit organization Digital Promise launched a certification program for responsibly designed AI products in education. This initiative aims to assist school leaders in selecting AI-powered educational technology tools that meet student learning and safety requirements. With the rapid growth of AI in education, schools face a plethora of choices, making the selection of safe and effective tools a critical challenge.
The certification program thoroughly evaluates several key aspects of AI educational tools, including data security, fairness, and transparency. To receive certification, educational technology vendors must demonstrate that their products meet a series of requirements. These include clearly outlining data collection and usage practices; providing a plan for addressing data breaches; employing inclusive development practices and monitoring for algorithmic bias; clearly stating the application scenarios of AI; and allowing educators to intervene in AI outputs.
Image Source Note: Image generated by AI, licensed through Midjourney.
Digital Promise stated in a press release that school leaders in multiple US regions plan to incorporate this certification into their procurement processes. Lorne Rodriguez, Enterprise General AI Manager at Chicago Public Schools, participated in the certification's pilot program and strongly endorsed its effectiveness. He noted, "The Responsible AI certification provides a simple and transparent way for district leaders to verify that these tools meet high standards for data privacy and security, ensuring that the use of AI is equitable, unbiased, and beneficial for all students."
Digital Promise encourages all school systems to leverage this certification and other third-party certifications to reduce the burden of vendor assessment. To assist school systems in integrating product certification questions, Digital Promise also provides relevant templates. According to Digital Promise's website, over 150 educational technology tools currently have certifications available, with six certifications issued directly by the organization. Other educational non-profits also offer their own certifications, including 1EdTech, Project Unicorn, and the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST). These product certifications aim to verify that educational technology tools meet specific standards in data privacy, interoperability, effectiveness, and inclusive design.
Through this initiative, Digital Promise hopes to provide the education sector with more reliable AI tool options, helping schools navigate the challenges of digital transformation in a safer and more efficient manner.
