Microsoft, OpenAI & Anthropic Fund A National AI Academy For Teachers

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has announced the establishment of the National Academy for A.I. Instruction, a new $23 million initiative to train the nation’s educators in the practical and ethical application of artificial intelligence in the classroom. In a landmark partnership between labor and leading technology firms, the AFT is joining with technology companies OpenAI, Microsoft and Anthropic to create a sustainable education infrastructure for the AI era.

The initiative launches as educators find themselves at a crucial intersection of opportunity and challenge. For many, AI is already proving to be a powerful ally. A recent Gallup study showed that six in ten educators are using AI tools, saving an average of six hours per week. This new academy aims to harness that potential, providing the skills and resources teachers need to lead the conversation on technology in schools.

At the press conference, an animated Randi Weingarten, president of AFT, said this initiative is “More important given what’s happening in Washington. As the federal government is cutting budgets for schools, we are ensuring that teachers and kids have what they need… the skills of today and tomorrow.” She emphasized that they (AFT and the tech companies) were “Stepping up”.

Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers, explained at the press conference that, in his opinion, edtech hasn’t helped teachers, explaining that it has been “developed from above, sold to the people who have the money, then pushed onto teachers.” He hopes that the AI Academy will allow teachers to have their say in the development of these AI tools.

Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, echoes Mulgrew’s sentiments: “To best serve students, we must ensure teachers have a strong voice in the development and use of AI. This partnership will not only help teachers learn how to better use AI, it will give them the opportunity to tell tech companies how we can create AI that better serves kids.”

The academy will be situated at the United Federation of Teachers’ (UFT) headquarters in downtown Manhattan, where hands-on workshops for educators are set to begin this fall. The ambitious five-year program aims to train 400,000 educators, which is approximately 10 percent of the U.S. teaching workforce, and will scale nationally from its New York hub.

The $23 million in combined support is structured as follows: Microsoft is contributing $12.5 million over five years, OpenAI is providing $8 million in direct funding plus $2 million in technical resources, and Anthropic is adding $500,000 in first-year support. This collaboration represents a significant commitment from the tech industry to ensure educators are central to the development of AI in education.

The model draws inspiration from successful training centers created by other labor unions, like the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, which have partnered with industry to advance professional skills. The idea was first proposed by venture capitalist and AFT member Roy Bahat.

For teachers on the front lines, such training can have an immediate impact. “Sometimes as a teacher you suffer burnout and you can’t always communicate to the class in the right voice or find the right message, and I feel like these AI tools… can really help with that,” said Marlee Katz, a teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing in New York City. “The tools don’t take away your voice, but if I need to sound more professional or friendly or informed, I feel like these tools are like a best friend that can help you communicate.”

The AFT’s announcement occurs amidst increasing national attention on integrating AI into education. In recent weeks, Google has released a suite of AI tools for educators, highlighting the growing competition among tech giants to establish a foothold in the education market. The push is also coming from the federal level, with the White House calling on technology companies to contribute AI grants and training to schools.

This new academy seeks to address a critical gap identified in research, that educators feel they lack adequate professional development for AI, even as they face its growing presence in their students’ lives. By placing teachers at the center of innovation, the AFT and its partners aim to ensure that the next generation of students learns not just reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also how to use artificial intelligence wisely and with purpose.