White House AI in Education Remarks
AI In Education Task Force Meeting Remarks
White House - Dec 11, 2026
Tina Descovich, CEO & Co-founder, Moms for Liberty
It is an honor to take part in the this task force. Thank you to the First Lady and to each of you for this opportunity.
The potential impact of AI in education is unparalleled.
Through AI technology, children can have source documents at their fingertips and history can be brought to life. This extraordinary opportunity comes with great threats too. And parents are sounding the alarm BEFORE the genie gets out of the bottle, into our classrooms and causes harm to our children.
The first task force meeting which I was honored to be part of with the First Lady included 125 CEOs and leaders from across the country in this space and it laid out the future path for AI in education. The message was reinforced that the U.S. must lead the world! And we at Moms for Liberty agree that we should!
As the leading parental rights organization in the country, Moms for Liberty’s role on the task force is unique and ESSENTIAL. Our responsibility is not one we take lightly. It is our job to make sure that parents hold the keys to this toolbox of AI being introduced to our children.
Our children will not be digital zombies. They will be raised by their parents, not by algorithms. Parents are just now waking up to the devastation smart phones and social media has been having on their children, their minds and their mental health. (Anxiety, depression, addiction) We didn’t know then the extensive damage smart phones and social media were going to do but now we see and we DO KNOW that AI can and will be exponentially more harmful and we must make sure tech companies develop safe, ethical products and that our children are protected.
What we understand now is that AI and its algorithms must be treated like a drug. It can help heal our education crisis with the right dose, testing, trials, safety checks and approvals. Every tech company that develops AI products targeted to children must prove their product is safe & effective, we must know the side effects and long-term risks. In short, Powerful AI must face the same rigor as powerful drugs, especially in schools.
Along with tech companies acting responsibly,pPolicy makers must do everything possible to make sure those that love and care for children the most, those that have the FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT TO DIRECT THE UPBRINING OF THEIR CHIDLREN HAVE ALL THE KEYS to the AI toolbox. Parents must have full transparency into how AI systems operate, what data they collect, and how decisions or recommendations are made.
What does that look like?
- Transparency, Transparency, Transparency.
- PARENTAL CONTROLS (On access & algorithm) Recognize that minors cannot provide consent to their data.
- Require platforms to implement robust safeguards, including crisis intervention systems and measures to prevent addictive engagement tactics.
- Create data protection requirements for platforms collecting data from minors, with penalties for violations.
- Businesses that want to sell AI programs and services (potentially becoming very wealthy) need to fund research on the long-term developmental impacts of AI usage among children and establish clinical trial and licensure requirements.
- There can be no Social Emotional learning embedded and used in AI
- No AI used in Mental Health Services
- Develop enforcement mechanisms with real consequences for platforms that fail to protect kids.
Moms for Liberty supports innovation that enhances educational opportunity, but we believe that clear guardrails are necessary to protect student privacy, uphold parental rights, and ensure that technology serves families, not the other way around.
We believe that AI should reinforce—not diminish—the irreplaceable human role of teachers. Instructional decisions must remain in the hands of qualified educators, and AI should only be used to support individualized learning, administrative efficiency, and improved access to resources. No AI program should be permitted to track, profile, or score students in ways that affect their educational opportunities outside the oversight of their parents.
Local communities must maintain authority over which AI tools are used in their schools. Elected leaders have a responsibility to set clear standards that prioritize student safety, data privacy, and ideological neutrality. Finally, school districts and state agencies must maintain strong accountability structures to ensure that any AI tools used in classrooms comply with state and federal privacy laws, and meet rigorous standards for accuracy, security, and age appropriateness.
AI has the potential to be a helpful supplement, but it must never be given the authority to replace educators, override parents, or shape the worldview of America’s children. With firm guardrails rooted in transparency, student safety, and parental rights, we can ensure technology remains a tool for learning—not a Trojan horse for overreach into the classroom.
We are excited about the future of education in America, and we're thrilled to support the president's executive order and the first ladies’ initiative to make sure that we are leading in AI in education. Moms for Liberty is working now to develop tools and resources so that parents can be educated and empowered to take their rightful seat in helping their children use this tool to excel while protecting them from potential harms.