The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), in collaboration with the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic, has announced the launch of the National Academy for AI Instruction—a pioneering $23 million initiative aimed at equipping 1.8 million AFT members with essential AI skills, starting with K–12 educators.
Headquartered in a state-of-the-art facility in Manhattan, the academy will serve as a national hub for AI education. The program is designed to bridge the gap in structured AI training and curriculum, empowering teachers to lead classroom innovation with ethical, accessible, and hands-on AI tools.
This is the first initiative of its kind—a public-private partnership between a major union and leading tech companies. It provides scalable, credentialed AI instruction and continuing education credits, helping educators adapt to fast-evolving technology while ensuring students are prepared for an AI-integrated future.
Instruction at the academy will begin later this year and scale nationally, with an ambitious five-year goal to train 400,000 teachers—about 10% of the U.S. educator workforce—ultimately impacting over 7.2 million students.
The program includes live workshops, virtual learning environments, online coursework, and innovation labs. It’s crafted by top AI experts and seasoned educators to create a replicable model for integrating AI into pedagogy. Teachers will learn not only to use AI but to critically evaluate and responsibly implement it within their classrooms.
The idea originated from Roy Bahat, venture capitalist, educator, activist, and AFT member. Bahat, who leads Bloomberg Beta, will serve on the academy’s board of directors.
As Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, and the AFT join forces, this initiative aims to democratize AI literacy, reduce educational disparities, and ensure the next generation of students thrives in an AI-powered world.
Point of View (POV):
This initiative represents a bold and much-needed step in democratizing access to AI education. With teachers on the front lines of technological change, the academy ensures they’re no longer left to navigate the AI wave alone. Rather than replacing educators, AI here becomes a collaborative tool—empowering instructors to shape more informed, inclusive, and future-ready classrooms.
