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by Paige Orr
TULSA, Okla. — Artificial intelligence is moving into Oklahoma classrooms, leaving local school districts and higher education institutions racing to map out the future of the technology.
More than 300 educators and education decision-makers wrapped up the second annual Oklahoma AI Education Symposium in Tulsa on Wednesday.
The event, which tripled in size compared to its inaugural year, brought together leaders from K-12, higher education and career tech sectors to address the growing role of AI in academics.
Organizers said Oklahoma is currently positioning itself to set a national standard, noting that no other state in the U.S. has built a fully aligned, statewide AI education strategy heading into the upcoming school year.
The theme of this year's symposium was "The Ground Has Moved, Now We Build."
Tech and event advisors emphasized that the overarching goal has officially shifted from simply testing out basic AI tools to implementing them responsibly, securely and effectively.
Jason McManus, the Chief Revenue Officer for tech firm BIS and a keynote speaker at the symposium, said the conversation must move past general curiosity and look directly at institutional infrastructure.
"The event essentially was around how higher education and K-12 wants to responsibly adopt AI and equip their students for the future," said McManus. "To do it responsibly, you've got to be concerned about students' information getting leaked out, data breaches and just irresponsible use in general."
McManus noted that AI integration can significantly streamline day-to-day administrative tasks, which can ultimately give educators more time back to focus on students.
"One of the things we're working on is the ability to grade tests almost instantly so that all that time could be freed up for building better materials for the classroom, doing more research and things of that nature. Last year was all about preparing for AI; this year they're talking about how they're executing AI."
As AI tools become more accessible, tech leaders and teachers at the symposium stressed that the primary focus is not about catching students trying to cheat. Instead, the focus is on drilling down into policy guardrails that preserve data privacy while preparing a tech-driven workforce.
McManus explained that long-term success requires a heavy emphasis on comprehensive digital literacy for both instructors and students.
"It's not so much access to the technology, it's being educated on how to use the technology and how to teach people to responsibly use it and it's the same way with students. If you understand that letting the AI do the work for you in the long run is really not going to benefit or value you, it's not going to equip you for the world."
Symposium organizers said local pilot programs will begin rolling out immediately, allowing teachers to safely deploy approved AI tools in their classrooms ahead of the upcoming academic terms.
We will continue to track the implementation of these digital tools across Green Country school districts as new guidelines are finalized.
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