New Maryland law providing A.I. guidance to schools is now in effect
A new Maryland law aimed at putting guardrails on new technology and keeping students safe went into effect on Monday, June 1.
The A.I. Ready Schools Act mandates the State Department of Education to issue artificial intelligence guidelines and best practices to help local public school systems.
The state's education department is tasked with instructing how schools in grades K through 12 should use A.I. for learning.
The new law will also incorporate A.I. literacy into workforce preparation standards and computer science standards for kindergarten through grade 12 by June 1, 2027; provide professional development in A.I. to educators and school leaders; and staff and support the new Maryland AI Education Collaborative on Artificial Intelligence in K-12 Education, which must issue specified reports and recommendations.
The local school districts will develop policies, get A.I. tools that align with the guidance, and appoint an A.I. coordinator.
Future of A.I. in schools
In August, 2025, WJZ Anchor Rick Ritter got an inside look at the future of artificial intelligence in schools.
Ritter's Question Everything segment featured the Future Think Edge summer program at City Springs Elementary in Baltimore. The pilot program included trying out new AI software that was developed by Brandon Phillips, the founder of Future Think Hub, creator of A.I. software.
The software caters to the personal needs of every student to teach them subjects like math, science and coding in a game-like setting.
It helps students solve problems and think critically, but even more importantly, it maximizes their learning potential.
"It's an AI software that gives each student an individual teacher," Phillips told CBS News Baltimore. "That software learns that student and teaches that student at their capacity."
City Springs Elementary School Assistant Principal Rob Summers told CBS News Baltimore that importance of having students engage with A.I. technologies could soon dominate the future of students.
"We can't just be preparing our kids for the economy of five years ago or the economy today; we have to be ready for what's next," Summers said.
"The teacher's still there. The teacher still has their own lesson plan and they push that student, but the computer is assisting them one-by-one to make sure they get the best outcome," Phillips added.
You can read more about the program here.
