(The Center Square) – The Arizona House Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Innovation passed a bill on Thursday seeking to develop school instruction surrounding AI.
Committee members voted 4-2, with one member voting present, on House Bill 4005, which was introduced by Rep. Nick Kupper, R-Yuma.
HB 4005 would require school districts and charter schools to give instruction on the “ethical, moral and educational uses” of AI.
The instruction would need to be based on “basic techniques for AI prompts” and “ethical considerations for using AI in learning and in daily life.”
The bill defines AI as a “machine-based system that is able to make predictions, recommendations or decisions,” including “generative systems that produce content in response to prompts.”
School districts or charter schools would be allowed to implement the instruction into existing curricula or create a whole new separate course, HB 4005 states.
On Oct. 15 of each year, the bill would require school districts and charter schools to submit a report to the Arizona Department of Education describing the type of AI instruction they provide to students.
The state DOE can offer guidelines, resources or grants to help schools implement AI instruction, HB 4005 notes.
At the bill’s hearing, Kupper said if Arizona schools are not giving “some level of AI instruction” to their students, then schools are failing to prepare them “for the new real world.”
Kupper said he wrote the bill to allow school districts to implement AI instruction “as they see fit.”
Also, the state representative said he delayed the bill’s start to the 2027-2028 school year to allow school districts to determine whether they need more funding and, if necessary, request it from the Legislature.
During deliberations on the bill proposal, Rep. Junelle Cavero, D-Phoenix, said she appreciated Kupper bringing the bill forward, calling it “quite important.”
However, she said she would vote “present” on the bill to “look more deeply into the ethical, moral and educational uses” of AI.
State Reps. Anastasia Travers, D-Chandler, and Betty Villegas, D-Tucson, voted “no” on HB 4005.
Travers said she liked the idea of the bill, but noted she did not think the Legislature could force the state Department of Education to “create a curriculum, train up teachers or hire more people” to teach AI at this time.
“ I can’t mandate for public schools to do something. I can’t even get special needs teachers for my kids,” she explained.
Along with Kupper, Reps. James Taylor, R-Surprise; Julie Willoughby, R-Chandler; and Justin Wilmeth, R-Deer Valley, voted “yes.”
