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by ABC 33/40
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBMA) — As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly common in everyday life, Birmingham City Schools is working to ensure educators are prepared to use the technology responsibly in the classroom.
Hundreds of teachers gathered Monday for a districtwide professional development day focused on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, instructional technology and classroom innovation. The event, themed "Nurture. Guide. Empower.," was held in partnership with ISTE+ASCD and Birmingham-based education nonprofit EdFarm.
District leaders say the goal is to help teachers understand how AI can support learning while maintaining student privacy, academic integrity and educator oversight.
"We just passed our AI policy in Birmingham City Schools," said Joanne Stephens, the district's technology officer. "So this is a great way for our teachers to kind of see some of the things we do."
Stephens said the training comes as AI becomes more integrated into everyday life and learning environments.
"However, now it is just in everything that we do, and it has that always-on concept," Stephens said. "So we definitely wanted to start with our teachers."
Throughout the day, educators participated in hands-on sessions designed to show practical ways AI can be incorporated into teaching and learning.
Stephens said the district intentionally used AI tools to help create elements of the event itself.
"So this—we put this session on, and all the things that we did, we used AI," she said. "Like we created a website, it was done with AI, we created an app, it was done with AI."
Organizers say preparing educators is critical because students are already encountering AI technology outside the classroom.
A Birmingham City Schools board member emphasized the importance of helping both teachers and students understand how to use the technology appropriately.
"So first of all, AI's here to stay," the board member said. "And if we don't learn to use it and use it well, then we're letting our kids down. So we have to help our teachers feel comfortable with it, use it, and our students learn to use it responsibly and well because it is here to stay."
The district partnered with EdFarm, a Birmingham-based organization focused on expanding access to technology and future-ready learning opportunities.
Brittany Hollis, EdFarm's senior manager of community engagement, said the organization wants educators to see AI as a tool that can support both teachers and students.
"We're really here to be able to stand in that position to empower our educators that we have within our cohorts and our fellowship to be able to allow them to understand what AI can do for them, to act as a guide that way they can implement these tools within their classrooms, but also to understand what AI does for them," Hollis said. "It does for their students as well as their communities."
Hollis acknowledged that some people remain skeptical about artificial intelligence but said education is key to overcoming concerns.
"I mean I can understand why people have a negative connotation because of something new, right?" Hollis said. "But ultimately people are fearful of unknowing and if they don't really know what's about it they may be very cautious."
For Birmingham City Schools, leaders say the training is about more than learning a new technology. It's about preparing students for a future in which AI will play an increasingly important role in education, careers and daily life.
When teachers return for the next school year, district leaders hope they will bring with them new tools, new ideas and a better understanding of how to guide students in an AI-driven world.
2026 Sinclair, Inc.
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