RTE summary ofRegulate AI companies, not AI in schools, North Dakota state superintendent says, news report, North Dakota Monitor,
Testifying before the North Dakota Legislature's artificial intelligence and data center committee, State Superintendent Levi Bachmeier urged lawmakers to aim AI regulation at the companies that provide chatbots, and to leave decisions about AI use in classrooms to school boards and educators. His biggest concern, he said, is companion chatbots that act as friends or advisers to young people.
Bachmeier suggested requiring companies to make clear when users are talking to AI rather than a person, setting age limits on chatbot access, and holding companies liable when chatbots encourage self-harm. He called outright bans on AI in schools, adopted in some states, an overreaction that could deny students useful tools. He also supported tools that let parents set time limits and see how devices are used, and suggested schools could consider keeping school-issued devices on campus to limit screen time.
Michael Marinaccio of the Center for Responsible Technology told the committee that students should be taught the dangers of chatbots, and called for strong age verification.
Why it matters
Bachmeier's testimony separates two questions that often get blurred: what the companies building AI products owe children, and how schools choose to use those products. Disclosure, age limits, and accountability for harm are baseline expectations families can understand, and they apply no matter which tools a school adopts.
Another outlet covered the same hearing in more detail. See our summary of InForum's report.
This is RTE's summary. For the complete story, read it where it was originally published.
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