AI Training Study Cancelled Due to Parental Backlash

Plans to train AI using footage of preschoolers were halted after parents expressed serious concerns, according to an investigative report.

The University of Washington had intended to have preschool teachers record student behavior with cameras, both wearable and stationary, as reported by 404 Media on Monday. Parents successfully campaigned for the cancellation of the study, citing worries about their children’s privacy.

One parent voiced their discontent, stating, “I am troubled by the idea of using my child’s likeness in unknown AI tools and how this could be abused.” They also highlighted concerns over informed consent, mentioning that the handout provided was vague. “Many families in our school are migrants and non-native English speakers, but forms were not provided in any of their native languages,” she noted.

Dr. Gail Joseph and her team aimed to create AI tools to “assess classroom interaction quality,” as per a communication shared with parents. They stated that the recordings would capture regular activities during morning hours, lasting up to 150 minutes across four visits in a month. Importantly, they reassured that student faces would be blurred and names omitted from the audio.

While participation was labeled as “completely voluntary,” parents would have needed to opt out manually if they didn’t want their children recorded.

University spokesperson David Rey emphasized the institution’s commitment to building trust with community partners, stating, “Prior to terminating the study, we were working to identify research sites using informed consent and in compliance with all University of Washington Institutional Review Board guidelines.” He added that classrooms would only participate if parental permission was secured for all children involved.

In light of early parental feedback, university officials decided to terminate the study, with Jackson Holtz, another spokesperson, noting that it’s not unusual for studies to be stopped early based on community feedback. The university has since informed all programs about the study’s cancellation.

Following the media inquiries, the University of Washington reportedly removed details about the study from its website.

This cancellation occurs amid reports that companies like Anthropic, Microsoft, and OpenAI have provided significant funding to teachers’ unions for AI training, according to the Associated Press last October.

However, privacy issues are not the sole challenges facing this initiative. Reports indicate that A-grades have surged by 30% since the launch of ChatGPT. Additionally, an incident was noted where an elementary school student in California unintentionally generated an explicit image while using an AI tool for a school project last December.