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OCTOBER U.S. NEWSLETTER 

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CDT Releases Major New Research on the Use of AI in Schools

Earlier this month, CDT released new survey research ([link removed]) revealing that AI uptake is proliferating in classrooms, with 85% of teachers and 86% of students reporting they use at least one AI tool. The research further demonstrated that AI in K-12 schools is having important and widespread negative effects on students that teachers currently feel unequipped to address. 

Half of students agreed that using AI in class makes them feel less connected to their teacher, seven in 10 teachers worried that AI weakens important skills that students need to learn, and 38% of students agreed that it is easier for them to talk to AI than their parents. 42% of students also reported that they or their friends had back-and forth conversations with AI as a friend or companion, to get mental health support, and as a way of escaping from real life. And, as has been widely cited by outlets including NPR ([link removed]), Time ([link removed]), and The Onion ([link removed]), 19% of students reported that they or a friend have had conversations with AI to have a romantic relationship.

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Graphic for CDT report, entitled “Hand in Hand: Schools’ Embrace of AI Connected to Increased Risks to Students.” Illustration of a large green “digital” hand holding a pencil, surrounded by classroom items like a beaker, protractor, graphs, and papers.

Said Elizabeth Laird, Director of CDT’s Equity in Civic Technology Project, “Our research shows AI use in schools comes with real risks, like large-scale data breaches, tech-fueled sexual harassment and bullying, and treating students unfairly. Acknowledging those risks enables education leaders, policymakers, and communities to mount prevention and response efforts so that the positive uses of AI are not overshadowed by harm to students.”

The report also covered other key topics, such as how schools are using tech in and outside the classroom (and how parents feel about it); deepfake non-consensual imagery; data breaches; cell phone bans; and privacy issues related to transgender and immigrant students. Almost one in four teachers reported their school experiencing a large-scale data breach last year, and 21% of teachers reported deepfake NCII being shared within their school during the last school year. 

Almost one in five teachers report that student data such as grades, attendance, and discipline information are being shared with immigration enforcement (read more of CDT’s school guidance ([link removed]) on this issue here).

In Case You Missed It

— Tech leader Eric Muhlheim, Chief Financial Officer of Mozilla Corporation, has joined CDT’s Board of Directors ([link removed]). Welcome, Eric!

— Amidst a growing trend in age verification requirements for users to access online tools, CDT’s Aliya Bhatia and Nick Doty outlined the various approaches online services can employ to protect minors online ([link removed]), and how they can best protect users’ privacy and mitigate other risks to users’ rights.

— CDT joined a coalition of civil society organizations in filing  comments with the Office of Science and Technology Policy ([link removed]) (OSTP) in response to its Request for Information on Regulatory Reform on Artificial Intelligence, calling on it to ensure that modernization efforts strengthen — not weaken — civil rights protections and consumer safety. 

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Graphic for a CDT and Benefits Tech Advocacy Hub report, entitled “Rethinking the Loop: Encircling Public Benefits AI with Human Oversight.” Illustration of a red-hued hand and a yellow-hued one‭, ‬reaching into a circle of data bits of varying bright colors‭.‬

— A report, co-authored by CDT and the Benefits Tech Advocacy Hub ([link removed]), lays out best practices for an effective and inclusive framework for human oversight of public benefits AI.

— CDT Europe announced its inaugural Advisory Council ([link removed])! The exceptional group of leaders from academia and civil society includes Dr. Abeba Birhane, Professor Joris V.J. van Hoboken, Professor Clare McGlynn, Andre Meister, Oyidiya Oji Palino, Sophie In’t Veld, Professor Ben Wagner, Dr. Charlotte Webb, and Dr. Sabine Witting.

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CDT CEO Alexandra Reeve Givens giving remarks at CDT's 2025 Tech Prom.

CDT "In Person"

— On October 23, CDT CEO Alexandra Reeve Givens gave remarks at CDT’s Tech Prom ([link removed]), honoring our 30th anniversary and highlighting CDT’s accomplishments past and present.

— This week, CDT hosted our Annual Future of Speech Online ([link removed]) conference in partnership with Stand Together Trust. The event brings together thought leaders from academia, industry, civil society, and the media to discuss key issues affecting free speech online. This year’s topic was “The Age of Constitutional Evasion: Jawboning and Other Forms of Government Pressure to Control Private Speech.” Watch the video on CDT’s YouTube channel ([link removed]).

— Last week, CDT and partners around the world celebrated Global Encryption Day ([link removed]). We helped lead the Global Encryption Summit, hosted by the Global Encryption Coalition, which includes 515 members across 110 countries. The sessions highlighted the ways encryption protects our security and privacy during dangerous times, the dangers posed by attempts to undermine encryption, and the ways we can keep encryption safe.

— On October 6, CDT CEO Alexandra Reeve Givens delivered the keynote speech ([link removed]), “Advancing Election Resilience in the Digital Age,” at the 2025 IFES Charles Manatt Democracy Award. 

— Don’t miss the latest two episodes of CDT’s podcast, Tech Talks. Zeve Sanderson of the NYU Center for Social Media and Politics joined CDT’s Aliya Bhatia and Michal Luria to discuss online age verification and the collection of sensitive data ([link removed]). In a subsequent episode, CDT’s Amy Winecoff and non-resident fellow Umang Bhatt (Cambridge University) discuss AI documentation and responsible deployment ([link removed]).

CDT In the Press

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Nick Doty, CDT Senior Technologist, appears onscreen on ABC News Tonight.

— CDT’s Nick Doty appeared on ABC News Tonight ([link removed]) discussing the widespread Amazon Web Services outage earlier this month.

— CDT’s Ariana Aboulafia published an op-ed at Tech Policy Press ([link removed]), arguing that the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Uber illustrates the limits of tech innovation for accessibility.

— CDT’s Kate Ruane was quoted by NPR ([link removed]), discussing Apple’s removal of an ICE tracking app at the White House’s request: “When companies agree to the administration’s demands in order to achieve some other goal, whether it be avoiding tariffs or getting merger approval, they send a message to others that it's ok to do the same,” she said. “What’s worse, they erode the promise of the First Amendment for all of us at the same time.”

Partner Spotlight

Thank you to all our sponsors ([link removed]) for their partnership in making this year’s Tech Prom possible! Our partners are true leaders in innovation and the tech policy community who are committed to innovation and impact.

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DeVan Hankerson Madrigal, smiling and wearing glasses and a pink top and black suit jacket.

Staff Spotlight

Devan Hankerson Madrigal ([link removed]), State Policy Analyst & Research Manager

What is one thing you wish people knew about working on civic technology issues?

I wish people knew that technology policy is the most impactful and consequential work of our time. The issues we engage with have deep, broad-reaching implications that shape not only how we live today but also the world we leave for our children and grandchildren. Though technology constantly evolves, the priority remains the same: upholding digital rights for everyone.

What is your proudest moment while here at CDT?

This year is my fifth year at CDT, and I am so proud of all of the work I’ve done that it’s hard to choose just one moment. My proudest moments include managing high-impact research projects that embody the democratic values of access and expertise. The Global South Content Moderation Project ([link removed]) is perhaps the most complex global project CDT has undertaken to date. As someone who studied Arabic for nearly 10 years, it was very satisfying to do work that both walked the walk and talked the talk, with each case study including both English and non-English versions (inclusive of Arabic-language versions.)

I would be remiss not to also mention the massive and impactful women of color in politics project ([link removed]) (the follow-up report,  “Hated More ([link removed]),” is also one to check out), as well as the work we’ve done to revitalize the Non-Resident Fellows program ([link removed]).

After five years of this rewarding work, I am thrilled to now join the CDT’s State Engagement team, a role that draws directly upon my background as an advocate and my deep knowledge of technology policy.

What is your fandom?

My fandom is, and always will be Star Trek. My journey began young, with watching Star Trek: Next Generation as it first aired, and I have followed every subsequent franchise since (we’re in a lull right now but Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will be out soon and I absolutely cannot wait.) And no, I have not yet been to a Star Trek convention, nor do I speak Klingon but I can identify it from among the various constructed languages created for film/TV. 🖖🏿

What is the best book you've read recently?

The best book I've read recently is Soil by Camille Dungy ([link removed]), a book I impulsively bought at the airport simply because I loved the cover. It ended up being a wonderful and timely read, especially since I'm fully in my "plant parent" era and need all the advice I can get. It is so much more than a gardening book. Dungy, a poet and scholar, offers a profound social critique on how homogeneity threatens our planet, all framed by the beautiful story of a family reconnecting with nature by starting a new garden. It's a must-read for anyone interested in the intersections of nature, culture, and history.

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