SOUTHEAST BOISE, Idaho — A new Idaho law is putting guidelines in place for how schools approach artificial intelligence, and Micron is helping educators and students learn to use the technology responsibly.
WATCH: How Micron promotes AI literacy as new state law goes into effect
Idaho lawmakers passed a law earlier this year aimed at expanding AI literacy and preparing students for a quickly changing technology landscape. The Idaho Department of Education said partnerships with companies like Micron are helping make that happen by supporting teachers and expanding AI learning opportunities for students.
While AI is already part of everyday work at Micron, many educators across Idaho are still learning how to use it.
"The conversation is more about where is that balance because we don't want students to go from one class to another with completely different attitudes towards AI," said Cathy Ammirati, who works on global budget and operations on Micron's social impact and community engagement team.
Micron offers camps for both teachers and students, along with online lessons educators can use in the classroom. One of those programs is Chip Camp, which I got a look inside in June.
"The students will take a role and they are going to play part of a computer,” Ammirati said. If everybody can have a better understanding about the underlying workings of how AI is impacting our lives and how it works, then they can go forward and use it more intelligently.”
Micron is also working with teachers by providing training, AI curriculum and mentorship opportunities in schools across Idaho.
“They didn't have that training, but you can still teach the concepts without having a degree in AI or a degree in data science," Ammirati said.
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As part of the White House's AI Commitment to America's Youth, Micron pledged to empower 40,000 learners and educators by 2029.
"We have set every single one of our grants, if there is a STEM component, science, technology, engineering, and math, then we want an AI lesson taught there as well. So we will train the grantee on how to teach that AI lesson," Ammirati said.
Ammirati said 25 years ago, the focus was teaching computer science. Today, she said that conversation has shifted to AI, and students who don't learn how to use it responsibly could be at a disadvantage in the future.
You can find more about Micron's AI educator program here.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
