Assembly Bill A7029

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7029
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              March 18, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. SOLAGES -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to directing the  commis-
   sioner  of  education  to make recommendations to the board of regents
   regarding the incorporation of instruction in artificial  intelligence
   system literacy into the school curriculum

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Legislative intent. The legislature finds and declares  all
 of the following:
   (1) The State does not have an official artificial intelligence liter-
 acy  curriculum  framework to ensure the teaching of AI literacy content
 to every pupil.
   (2) The growing prevalence of artificial intelligence systems in daily
 life necessitates comprehensive AI literacy education for all elementary
 and secondary pupils.
   (3) A foundational understanding of AI systems is  becoming  essential
 for informed participation in modern society and the future workforce.
   (4)  Students  require  the skills to critically evaluate AI-generated
 content and understand the implications of AI systems in their lives.
   (5) The state has a strong interest in ensuring that  its  pupils  are
 equipped  to  understand  the  capabilities,  limitations,  and  ethical
 considerations of AI technologies.
   § 2. Section 305 of the education law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 subdivision 33 to read as follows:
   33.  A.  THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE BOARD OF
 REGENTS RELATING TO THE INCORPORATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE  SYSTEM
 LITERACY  CONTENT  INTO THE CURRICULUM AT EACH GRADE LEVEL IN ELEMENTARY
 SCHOOLS, JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS, AND  SENIOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS.  SUCH  CONTENT
 SHALL INCLUDE, WITH DIFFERENTIATION FOR STUDENTS' CAPACITY TO UNDERSTAND
 SUCH TOPICS ACROSS AGES AND STAGES OF STUDENTS' DEVELOPMENT:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD10516-02-5
              

 A. 7029                             2
 
   (I) BASIC CONCEPTS AND FUNCTIONING OF AI SYSTEMS;
   (II) CRITICAL EVALUATION OF AI-GENERATED CONTENT AND AI SYSTEM OUTPUT;
   (III) PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS AND LIMITATIONS OF AI;
   (IV) ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS AND SOCIETAL IMPACT; AND
   (V) SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE INTERACTION WITH AI SYSTEMS.
   B.  PRIOR  TO  MAKING THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE BOARD OF REGENTS, THE
 COMMISSIONER SHALL:
   (I) SEEK RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE DIRECTOR  OF  THE  STATE  OFFICE  OF
 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES;
   (II)  SEEK  THE  RECOMMENDATIONS  OF  TEACHERS, SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS,
 TEACHER EDUCATORS AND OTHERS WITH EDUCATIONAL EXPERTISE IN THE  PROPOSED
 CURRICULUM;
   (III)  SEEK  COMMENT  FROM  PARENTS,  STUDENTS  AND  OTHER  INTERESTED
 PARTIES;
   (IV) CONSIDER THE AMOUNT OF INSTRUCTIONAL TIME  SUCH  CURRICULUM  WILL
 REQUIRE  AND WHETHER SUCH TIME WOULD DETRACT FROM OTHER MANDATED COURSES
 OF STUDY;
   (V) CONSIDER THE FISCAL IMPACT,  IF  ANY,  ON  THE  STATE  AND  SCHOOL
 DISTRICTS; AND
   (VI) CONSIDER ANY ADDITIONAL FACTORS THE COMMISSIONER DEEMS RELEVANT.
   C.  NO  LATER THAN ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY DAYS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF
 THIS SUBDIVISION, THE COMMISSIONER SHALL PROVIDE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE
 BOARD OF REGENTS TO EITHER ADOPT AND PROMULGATE  APPROPRIATE  RULES  AND
 REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTING SUCH CURRICULUM OR REJECT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF
 SUCH  CURRICULUM.  UPON RECEIVING A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE COMMISSIONER
 PURSUANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION, THE BOARD OF REGENTS SHALL VOTE TO  EITHER
 ACCEPT  OR  REJECT THE COMMISSIONER'S RECOMMENDATION NO LATER THAN SIXTY
 DAYS AFTER RECEIVING SUCH RECOMMENDATION.
   D. IF THE BOARD OF REGENTS  ADOPTS  SUCH  CURRICULUM,  THE  CURRICULUM
 REQUIREMENT  SHALL  TAKE EFFECT NO LATER THAN THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR AFTER
 SUCH CURRICULUM HAS BEEN ADOPTED. THE BOARD  OF  REGENTS  SHALL  DEVELOP
 GUIDELINES FOR:
   (I) AGE-APPROPRIATE AI LITERACY CONTENT FOR EACH GRADE LEVEL;
   (II) INTEGRATION OF AI LITERACY INTO EXISTING SUBJECT AREAS;
   (III) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS; AND
   (IV) ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT AI LITERACY COMPETENCIES.
   E.  IF  THE BOARD OF REGENTS REJECTS SUCH CURRICULUM, THE COMMISSIONER
 SHALL PROVIDE A REPORT AS TO THE  DETERMINATION  OF  THE  BOARD  TO  THE
 GOVERNOR,  THE  TEMPORARY  PRESIDENT  OF  THE SENATE, THE SPEAKER OF THE
 ASSEMBLY AND THE CHAIRS OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY COMMITTEES ON  EDUCA-
 TION PROVIDING THE REASONS FOR SUCH REJECTION NOT LATER THAN THIRTY DAYS
 AFTER THE BOARD OF REGENTS REJECTS SUCH CURRICULUM.
   F. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION, THE FOLLOWING DEFINITIONS APPLY:
   (I)  "ARTIFICIAL  INTELLIGENCE  SYSTEM"  OR "AI SYSTEM" MEANS AN ENGI-
 NEERED OR MACHINE-BASED SYSTEM THAT, FOR  EXPLICIT  OR  IMPLICIT  OBJEC-
 TIVES,  INFERS  FROM  THE INPUT IT RECEIVES HOW TO GENERATE OUTPUTS THAT
 CAN INFLUENCE PHYSICAL OR VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS.
   (II) "AI LITERACY" MEANS THE ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND, CRITICALLY  EVALU-
 ATE,  AND INTERACT WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS, INCLUDING KNOW-
 LEDGE OF THEIR BASIC FUNCTIONING, CAPABILITIES, LIMITATIONS, AND  SOCIE-
 TAL IMPLICATIONS, AND THE SKILLS TO USE THEM.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.