Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Michigan Virtual Launches AI Lab for K–12 Research, Policy, and Development

  • By Kristal Kuykendall
  • 10/30/23

Ed tech nonprofit Michigan Virtual is adding an AI Lab to its Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute to explore the practical and ethical applications of generative AI in K–12 educational settings, according to a news release.

The MVLRI AI Lab will aim to “deepen AI literacy statewide and serve as a practical resource for Michigan schools,” Michigan Virtual said, and will serve as a “hub for research, best practices, experimentation, policy development, and raising awareness” about the responsible use of AI in schools. 

The organization said it will seek public and private funding for research and development as the new AI Lab takes off.

“Michigan Virtual is committed to doing more to assist schools with AI integration. This includes technical assistance, customized professional development offerings, expanded experimentation, and collaborative partnerships to pilot and evaluate new AI tools,” said Jamey Fitzpatrick, president and CEO of Michigan Virtual. "The establishment of the AI Lab represents a compelling strategic direction; it exemplifies our unwavering commitment to support schools and build a more resilient, adaptable, and forward-looking education landscape for the benefit of all in our state."

Managing the new AI Lab will be Ken Dirkin, MVLRI senior director.

Elliot Soloway, the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor at the University of Michigan & Co-Director of the Center for Digital Curricula, called the launch of the AI Lab “revolutionary” and said the resulting resources and guidance will be critical to K–12 schools’ ability to harness the power of AI in effective and equitable ways. 

Learn more at MichiganVirtual.org.

About the Author

Kristal Kuykendall is editor, 1105 Media Education Group. She can be reached at [email protected].


Featured

  • Businessman using laptop analyzing data and growth graph chart

    Report: AI Budgets in Education Show No Sign of Decline

    The vast majority of education organizations (98%) expect their AI infrastructure budgets to either increase or hold steady over the next year, according to a report from cloud storage provider Wasabi.

  • abstract smartphone translucent screen displaying AI interface

    Apple Unveils Redesigned Siri AI

    At its recent Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple announced Siri AI, a redesigned version of its voice assistant that Apple describes in its own announcement as "a profoundly more capable and personal assistant." The update is intended to make Siri more conversational, more context-aware, and more useful across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro.

  • abstract agentic ai data streams

    Rubrik Brings Agentic AI to Its Flagship Cyber Resilience Platform

    Rubrik has introduced Rubrik AI, positioning the company's cyber resilience platform around agentic operations across data, identity, and AI infrastructure.

  • circuit patterns

    Anthropic Intros Lower-Cost Claude Sonnet 5

    Anthropic has launched Claude Sonnet 5, positioning the model as its most autonomous mid-tier offering to date and a lower-cost alternative to its flagship Opus 4.8 system. The company said the model can plan multi-step tasks, operate tools such as browsers and terminals, and complete agentic work at a level that previously required larger and more expensive models.