Arkansas teacher suspended after AI generated test question with racial slur
An AI tool approved by Fort Smith School District in Arkansas generated test questions containing a racial slur when an English teacher asked it to create comprehension questions for a lesson on a memoir about school desegregation. The Fort Smith School Board suspended the teacher for 90 days without pay after the incident.
What happened
Robert Taylor, an English teacher at Northside High School in Fort Smith, Arkansas, used an AI tool called Magic AI approved by the district to generate comprehension questions for a lesson on 'Warriors Don't Cry,' a memoir by Dr. Melba Patillo Beals about her experiences as a Black student during school desegregation. The AI-generated test questions included a racial slur.
Reported impact
The test questions containing the racial slur were administered to students. The original district recommendation was to terminate Taylor from his position.
Index analysis
Taylor stated he directed the AI tool to write comprehension questions about literary devices only and did not ask it to write about ethical, logical, or emotional use of specific words. He contended the slur appeared in the original book to demonstrate how harmful it was to the author during her experience.
Governance controls
The Fort Smith School Board voted 6-to-1 to suspend Taylor without pay for 90 days effective immediately, modifying the district's original recommendation to terminate him after hours of discussion at a Monday night meeting.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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