The Battle Over A.I. in the Classroom episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 17, 2026 · 31 MIN

The Battle Over A.I. in the Classroom

from The Daily · host Deborah Lebree

With the school year ending, all over the country educators and parents are taking stock of the drastic shift caused by artificial intelligence in the classroom. Today, Natasha Singer, a technology reporter, discusses the year that reshaped American classrooms and how one dedicated teacher helped his students chart their own path into an uncertain future. Guest: Natasha Singer, a technology reporter for The New York Times. Background reading:  Teachers say they want to equip high school students to drive A.I., rather than be mere passengers steered by chatbots.A.I. companies are urging teachers to prepare students for an “A.I.-driven future.”The American Federation of Teachers recommended “no screens” at all for those in second grade or younger, and no A.I. chatbots for students in elementary school. Photo: Juan Arredondo for The New York Times For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

With the school year ending, all over the country educators and parents are taking stock of the drastic shift caused by artificial intelligence in the classroom. Today, Natasha Singer, a technology reporter, discusses the year that reshaped American classrooms and how one dedicated teacher helped his students chart their own path into an uncertain future. Guest: Natasha Singer, a technology reporter for The New York Times. Background reading:  Teachers say they want to equip high school students to drive A.I., rather than be mere passengers steered by chatbots.A.I. companies are urging teachers to prepare students for an “A.I.-driven future.”The American Federation of Teachers recommended “no screens” at all for those in second grade or younger, and no A.I. chatbots for students in elementary school. Photo: Juan Arredondo for The New York Times For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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The Battle Over A.I. in the Classroom

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This episode was published on June 17, 2026.

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With the school year ending, all over the country educators and parents are taking stock of the drastic shift caused by artificial intelligence in the classroom. Today, Natasha Singer, a technology reporter, discusses the year that reshaped American...

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