FOR RELEASE: October 17, 2024
School board members and school district administrators throughout New York State will get a glimpse into how artificial intelligence (A.I.) may be integrated into education in the future during the New York State School Boards Association’s (NYSSBA) Annual Convention and Education Expo, held in New York City from October 20 to 22 at the New York Hilton Midtown.
More specifically, NYSSBA Executive Director Robert S. Schneider will sit down with the world famous Sophia – a robot that combines A.I. and robotics – for a wide ranging discussion about the future impact of A.I. on K-12 education and the workforce.
"Our Convention is the state’s premier education and training event, so to headline it with an interview with Sophia places A.I. and robotics at the forefront of what school board members and superintendents will be grappling with on a daily basis," said Schneider.
In addition, school board members and school administrators will discuss other pressing topics such as the use of cell phones in schools, the transition to zero-emission school buses, school safety, and cyber security. A complete listing of sessions is available here.
The multi-day conference includes additional keynotes from educational strategist Dan Fitzpatrick on the influence of A.I. on education and school policies, and musician and motivational speaker, Steven Sharp Nelson, on the power of resilience and creativity to recognize the call to board service.
Featured sessions include a panel discussion with the New York State Commissioner of Education and senior staff about the state’s top education issues of concern to school leaders, best practices for threat assessments, prevention and response to mass shootings in schools, and curricula and policies to support online student safety.
The conference starts on Sunday, October 20th with the 28th Annual Pre-Convention School Law Seminar. The day-long session will address A.I. in the school workplace, the dos and don’ts of censorship of public school employee speech, and a moderated discussion with the State Education Department’s legal counsel regarding significant educational matters acted upon this past year or under consideration by the Board of Regents.