Directs the commissioner of education to make recommendations to the board of regents regarding the incorporation of instruction in artificial intelligence system literacy into the school curriculum at the elementary, junior high and senior high levels; directs the board of regents to adopt guidelines if the curriculum is adopted.

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          7029

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                     March 18, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. SOLAGES -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Education

        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to directing the  commis-
          sioner  of  education  to make recommendations to the board of regents
          regarding the incorporation of instruction in artificial  intelligence
          system literacy into the school curriculum

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Legislative intent. The legislature finds and declares  all
     2  of the following:
     3    (1) The State does not have an official artificial intelligence liter-
     4  acy  curriculum  framework to ensure the teaching of AI literacy content
     5  to every pupil.
     6    (2) The growing prevalence of artificial intelligence systems in daily
     7  life necessitates comprehensive AI literacy education for all elementary
     8  and secondary pupils.
     9    (3) A foundational understanding of AI systems is  becoming  essential
    10  for informed participation in modern society and the future workforce.
    11    (4)  Students  require  the skills to critically evaluate AI-generated
    12  content and understand the implications of AI systems in their lives.
    13    (5) The state has a strong interest in ensuring that  its  pupils  are
    14  equipped  to  understand  the  capabilities,  limitations,  and  ethical
    15  considerations of AI technologies.
    16    § 2. Section 305 of the education law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
    17  subdivision 33 to read as follows:
    18    33.  a.  The  commissioner  shall make recommendations to the board of
    19  regents relating to the incorporation of artificial intelligence  system
    20  literacy  content  into the curriculum at each grade level in elementary
    21  schools, junior high schools, and  senior  high  schools.  Such  content
    22  shall include, with differentiation for students' capacity to understand
    23  such topics across ages and stages of students' development:

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10516-02-5
        A. 7029                             2

     1    (i) basic concepts and functioning of AI systems;
     2    (ii) critical evaluation of AI-generated content and AI system output;
     3    (iii) practical applications and limitations of AI;
     4    (iv) ethical considerations and societal impact; and
     5    (v) safe and responsible interaction with AI systems.
     6    b.  Prior  to  making the recommendations to the board of regents, the
     7  commissioner shall:
     8    (i) seek recommendations from the director  of  the  state  office  of
     9  information technology services;
    10    (ii)  seek  the  recommendations  of  teachers, school administrators,
    11  teacher educators and others with educational expertise in the  proposed
    12  curriculum;
    13    (iii)  seek  comment  from  parents,  students  and  other  interested
    14  parties;
    15    (iv) consider the amount of instructional time  such  curriculum  will
    16  require  and whether such time would detract from other mandated courses
    17  of study;
    18    (v) consider the fiscal impact,  if  any,  on  the  state  and  school
    19  districts; and
    20    (vi) consider any additional factors the commissioner deems relevant.
    21    c.  No  later than one hundred eighty days after the effective date of
    22  this subdivision, the commissioner shall provide a recommendation to the
    23  board of regents to either adopt and promulgate  appropriate  rules  and
    24  regulations implementing such curriculum or reject the implementation of
    25  such  curriculum.  Upon receiving a recommendation from the commissioner
    26  pursuant to this subdivision, the board of regents shall vote to  either
    27  accept  or  reject the commissioner's recommendation no later than sixty
    28  days after receiving such recommendation.
    29    d. If the board of regents  adopts  such  curriculum,  the  curriculum
    30  requirement  shall  take effect no later than the next school year after
    31  such curriculum has been adopted. The board  of  regents  shall  develop
    32  guidelines for:
    33    (i) age-appropriate AI literacy content for each grade level;
    34    (ii) integration of AI literacy into existing subject areas;
    35    (iii) professional development resources for teachers; and
    36    (iv) assessment of student AI literacy competencies.
    37    e.  If  the board of regents rejects such curriculum, the commissioner
    38  shall provide a report as to the  determination  of  the  board  to  the
    39  governor,  the  temporary  president  of  the senate, the speaker of the
    40  assembly and the chairs of the senate and assembly committees on  educa-
    41  tion providing the reasons for such rejection not later than thirty days
    42  after the board of regents rejects such curriculum.
    43    f. For purposes of this subdivision, the following definitions apply:
    44    (i)  "Artificial  intelligence  system"  or "AI system" means an engi-
    45  neered or machine-based system that, for  explicit  or  implicit  objec-
    46  tives,  infers  from  the input it receives how to generate outputs that
    47  can influence physical or virtual environments.
    48    (ii) "AI literacy" means the ability to understand, critically  evalu-
    49  ate,  and interact with artificial intelligence systems, including know-
    50  ledge of their basic functioning, capabilities, limitations, and  socie-
    51  tal implications, and the skills to use them.
    52    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.