For those of us in education, the work begins with a commitment to helping students build their futures. It is meaningful, demanding work. Today, our responsibility is to prepare students not just for the world as it is, but for a world evolving faster than at any point in modern history.
Artificial intelligence is central to that evolution. For educators, the question is no longer whether AI will influence schools, but how we leverage it to strengthen teaching, learning, leading and operations.
For years, we have integrated technology into the classroom, but AI shifts the conversation. It is not just another tool students need to understand; it has the potential to reshape how teachers plan, differentiate instruction and manage workloads. This is the first time in the history of K-12 education that a technology can meaningfully change the daily work of educators and the systems that support them.
That is why Fulton County Schools is participating in OpenAI’s pilot of a version of ChatGPT built specifically for schools. After serious conversations about safety, privacy and instructional value, we are moving forward. This partnership represents a thoughtful approach to introducing AI, one that respects the role of educators rather than attempting to replace them.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
Beginning in January, Fulton County Schools will open access to the education-specific version of ChatGPT to staff districtwide — with clear expectations, training and guardrails from Day 1. Educators and support staff will be encouraged to use it for work such as drafting lesson materials, differentiating supports, translating and simplifying communications, creating rubrics and practice items and streamlining routine administrative writing, while keeping professional judgment and final decisions in human hands. As the rollout begins, we will collect structured feedback from staff across the district to evaluate impact, identify best practices and refine guidance as needed.
Teachers form the backbone of every community, acting as mentors, motivators and problem solvers. Yet, they carry a list of responsibilities that has far outpaced the school day. While teachers get time off in the summer, the assumption that they work less than a standard employee is incorrect. The reality is that the average teacher racks up over 200 more work hours per school year than a full-time employee does across 12 months. Essentially, they are cramming 57 weeks of full-time labor into less than 40 weeks.
As the chief of strategy and technology for one of the largest school districts in the U.S., I see how these pressures accumulate. But I also see the solution through a personal lens. My wife, an eighth grade English teacher, uses AI to streamline tasks that once consumed her evenings and weekends. It hasn’t changed her identity as a teacher; it has given her time back to focus on her students, easing the burnout that comes from that compressed schedule.
Students benefit as well. AI offers personalized tutoring and real-time translation for multilingual learners. For students with disabilities — including my son who has autism, ADHD and dyslexia — the potential is profound. AI allows him to use accommodations privately and with confidence. This level of individualized, scalable assistance is something no district could provide through staffing alone.
None of this works without strong guardrails. Student data privacy and digital responsibility must remain nonnegotiable. Implementing AI responsibly requires systemwide alignment and governance.
The future of education will not be defined by technology alone, but by how we use it to serve our communities. AI cannot replace the creativity and compassion of great teaching.
Joe Phillips is the chief of strategy and technology for Fulton County Schools.
If you have any thoughts about this item, or if you’re interested in writing an op-ed for the AJC’s education page, drop us a note at education@ajc.com.
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