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Biden admin warns AI in schools may exhibit racial bias, anti-trans discrimination and trigger investigations

On Tuesday, the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released presidentially-mandated guidance that lays out how schools' use of artificial intelligence (AI) can be discriminatory toward minority and transgender students, "likely" opening them up to federal investigations.

The first seven examples laid out in the guidance were scenarios where AI could potentially deny benefits, unfairly single out students or exclude them based on race, color or national origin. 

Another example suggested that schools using AI to determine appropriate disciplinary procedures for students could also be exhibiting a racial bias.

Chicago Public Schools teachers came forward to share the troubles they have faced in the classroom with trying to communicate with migrant students. (Getty Images)

"Significant disparities by race have persisted in the school’s application of student discipline, and Black students are disciplined more frequently and more harshly than other similarly situated students of another race," the guidance reads. "As a result, the historic school discipline data that the software relies on reflects the school’s discriminatory disciplinary practices."

The guidance notes that students who are falsely flagged can be subjected to "embarrassment and missed class time," and if administrators are "aware of the problem" but continue to use the screening software anyway, it could result in a Title IX violation and a likely investigation by civil rights officers.

This photo illustration created in Washington, D.C., shows an AI image generator in front of an image of school buses.

The Department of Education did not supply Fox News Digital with any on-the-record comments prior to publication of this story.