Overview

When the Arizona Institute for Education and the Economy (AIEE) launched in 2023, few could have anticipated just how central artificial intelligence (AI) would become to our work. AI is now embedded into everyday technology and has influenced our daily lives, as well as projections for our workforce and economy. In turn, across the P20 continuum, educators have grappled with important questions about what that means as we prepare students for the future. How do we create AI-literate students and educators? How might we use AI to transform teaching and learning? What are the short and long-term implications for individuals, communities, and society?

Since our initial publication of the AI Guidance document for K-12 education systems in May 2024, momentum has only grown. We’ve learned from schools and districts around Arizona about what has worked, what they’re excited about, and what keeps them up at night. We have challenged LEAs to complete foundational AI implementation tasks (3-in-3 Challenge), co-launched the AZ AI Alliance, presented locally and nationally, and fielded questions from every corner of the state and country. Our understanding of AI has continued to expand and evolve based on our continued work with education and business leaders, as well as the development of AI itself.

The May 2025 version of Arizona’s official GenAI Guidance reflects our ongoing learning by incorporating updated resources, a more nuanced approach to use guidelines, and clearer guidance on AI literacy.

Our message remains clear: the light is green. Let’s move forward—but let’s do so wisely. AI is not and should not be a quick fix for education. It is a tool – powerful, disruptive, and full of potential - whose impact depends entirely on how we, as human educators and leaders, shape it and, therefore, choose to use it.

The subtitle of this guidance also remains the same, A Balanced Perspective. Yes, AI can transform teaching and learning. Yes, it can improve systems, elevate the profession, and engage students in new ways. But only if we lead with a clear north star rooted in student learning, equity and access, and ethics, and only if we ensure that human intelligence remains at the center of AI implementation.

As we continue this work together, we invite Arizona’s educators to embrace what we call collective intelligence: a future in which the strengths of human expertise and the efficiencies of AI combine to close achievement and opportunity gaps, support a thriving educator workforce, and reimagine school systems for the better.

Dr. Chad Gestson

Executive Director 

Arizona Institute for Education and the Economy 

Northern Arizona University

Core Team members determined the values and goals of the guidance found in this document. They also analyzed data, drafted, and revised the document’s content using GenAI as a thought partner. The Reviewers provided critical feedback that further shaped the content of this guidance.

The Arizona Institute for Education and the Economy (AIEE) exists to cultivate solutions that improve K-12 education outcomes and ensure long-term statewide economic prosperity (AIEE, 2024). Sitting at the intersection of PK-12, higher education, and workforce development, we first seek to understand what is needed for Arizona’s future to thrive, then work with stakeholders to innovate bold solutions to transform outcomes for our students. 

The Future of Jobs Report 2025 suggests that AI will drive significant changes in workforce strategy over the next five years (World Economic Forum, 2025). According to the report, employers plan to hire new employees and reskill or upskill existing staff to effectively work with and alongside AI. Other research also underscores the need to prepare for workforce disruption driven by AI and related technologies (Eloundou et al., 2023). In light of these changes, educators and system leaders must consider how we equip students with the skills and mindsets needed for economic agency in an evolving landscape. 

To help guide Arizona’s education leaders in addressing AI technologies, the AIEE assembled a group of education experts to develop guidance that would assist Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to responsibly and confidently chart a path forward. As a team of education technology leaders, administrators, curriculum, and IT professionals, our collective experience is brought together in this document to offer a north star, proposed guardrails, and implementation recommendations. 

This guidance is grounded in two core beliefs – 1. Artificial Intelligence has the potential to be the catalyst for positive transformation of education models, and 2. Responsible implementation requires a nuanced understanding of the ethical implications. With that in mind, our team has taken great care to present this guidance reflecting a balanced perspective.

Since the release of the original guidance document in the spring of 2024, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, particularly GenAI, has continued to generate both excitement and uncertainty across the K–12 education landscape. 

To navigate the AI journey with intention and clarity, LEAs should first establish a common language and develop a shared vision for AI use. The information provided in this document can help strengthen individual and collective understanding of GenAI, including the opportunities, imperatives, and risks inherent in its use.

To further explain the human and AI relationship, Vera Cubero from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction uses an analogy of three different bikes. She compares education without AI to a mountain bike – the human is in control with no assistance, too much reliance on AI to a motorcycle – fast but potentially dangerous, and partnership with AI to an e-bike – the bike assists and the human is in control (NCDPI, 2024).