Maryland Moves To Make AI Literacy A Requirement For Public School Students

The measure also calls for AI literacy to be integrated into workforce readiness and computer science standards.

Maryland will require public schools to incorporate literacy for artificial intelligence (AI) into classroom instruction under a new law designed to prepare students for a workforce increasingly shaped by emerging technologies.

The Artificial Intelligence Ready Schools Act directs the Maryland State Department of Education to develop guidance for the use of AI in public schools and requires local school systems to establish their own policies within 120 days of the state’s recommendations, according to Afrotech.

The recent measure also calls for AI literacy to be integrated into workforce readiness and computer science standards for students in kindergarten through 12th grade by June 1, 2027. The law additionally requires professional development opportunities for educators and administrators, and creates the Maryland AI Education Collaborative on Artificial Intelligence in K-12 Education to provide recommendations and best practices for schools.

The legislation was sponsored by state Sens. Benjamin Brooks, Katie Fry Hester, Kevin M. Harris, Dalya Attar, Brian J. Feldman, and Ron Watson.

Supporters say statewide standards are necessary as AI tools become more common in classrooms and workplaces.

“They’re going to graduate in a world where nearly every career uses AI in some way,” Hester told WBAL-TV 11 News. “I felt like it was our responsibility to make sure that they were prepared to enter the workforce knowing how to use AI.”

Hester said the legislation is intended to provide consistent guidance for school districts that have adopted varying approaches to the technology.

“It embraces AI, and it also puts the guardrails in place,” she said. “I just didn’t want Maryland students falling behind simply because their system lacked that level of guidance.”

Some Maryland districts have already begun introducing students to artificial intelligence tools. In Howard County, high school students have access to education-focused Gemini AI accounts as part of classroom instruction.

Danielle Dunn, a media specialist at Hammond High School, said formal instruction is critical because students are already using AI outside of school settings.

“If we don’t teach kids how to use it, they’re going to learn on their own and not learn well,” Dunn also told the outlet.

The law places Maryland among a growing number of states exploring how artificial intelligence can be incorporated into K-12 education while establishing safeguards for its use in schools.