OpenAI and the American Federation of Teachers plan to train 400,000 U.S. teachers in AI

OpenAI and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) are launching the National Academy for AI Instruction, a five-year initiative aimed at training 400,000 teachers across the United States to use artificial intelligence in the classroom. OpenAI is contributing $10 million to the effort, with $8 million in direct funding and $2 million in technical support. The goal is to help teachers integrate AI into their teaching, with a special focus on underserved school districts.

The project is backed by additional partners, including Microsoft, Anthropic, and the United Federation of Teachers. The first training center is being built in New York City, with plans to open more by 2030. Teachers will have access to workshops, online courses, and hands-on training, along with priority access to OpenAI tools, technical support, and resources to build their own AI-powered classroom applications.