LARGO, Fla. — Artificial intelligence is part of the classroom, even for some of Pinellas County’s youngest students. The district uses an AI-powered reading program designed to listen to students read and help them improve, but some teachers say the technology doesn’t always get it right, and they’re questioning whether it belongs in the classroom at all.
“Hi, I’m Amira, your learning agent for reading growth,” is what viewers see in a promotional video put out by Amira Learning, where Amira, a virtual mascot, introduces herself. The program is an AI-powered reading tutor designed to help students in kindergarten through third grade become stronger readers. In Pinellas County Schools, students use the program for 30 to 40 minutes each week.
“Students are going to read into that program, and it listens to what they’re saying, and it analyzes what they’re saying and it gives them things to work on,” said Tracey McConnell…