Last spring, I sat in a classroom at Aurora Central High School and watched a newcomer student, still learning English, read aloud with confidence for the very first time. She had been practicing with an AI-powered literacy tool that helped her build fluency, check pronunciation, and track her progress each day. Her face lit up as she read.
Moments like that remind me why the conversation about artificial intelligence (AI) in education and community life matters so much, especially here in Aurora.
A State Debate, Local Stakes
This August, Colorado lawmakers returned to the Capitol for a special session. Alongside a nearly $783 million budget shortfall, Gov. Jared Polis placed the state’s first-in-the-nation AI law on the agenda. Passed in 2024, the law aims to prevent algorithmic discrimination in areas such as healthcare, housing, employment, and lending.
But schools and hospitals have raised concerns that compliance could drain limited resources away from teaching and patient care. Lawmakers are now considering revisions, some focusing on greater transparency and disclosure, others scaling back requirements and shifting responsibility to developers.
That debate may feel distant, but its outcome will directly shape how AI is used in Aurora schools and communities.
In Aurora Schools
At Aurora Central, AI is not a far-off concept, it is already being used to strengthen literacy. Through Aurora Public Schools’ partnership with MagicSchool AI, the district has reported a 28% increase in students meeting grade-level literacy benchmarks, including English learners and newcomers.
This is the promise of AI. It can amplify student voices and open doors to opportunity. But it also raises serious questions. If a chatbot can write an essay in seconds, what happens to the persistence and creativity that come from struggle? If training one AI model produces more carbon emissions than five cars over their lifetimes, what responsibility do schools carry in how they adopt this technology?
The U.S. Department of Education’s 2023 report, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning, puts it plainly: AI must support human judgment, not replace it.
Aurora Public Schools is working to put this into practice. The district created an AI Steering Committee that includes teachers, staff, and students to guide policy, train educators, and ensure equity remains at the center. That kind of guardrail is what will keep AI a support for learning, not a substitute for it.
In Our Communities
AI is not only reshaping classrooms, it is beginning to change daily life in cities. Denver recently launched “Sunny,” a 311 chatbot that answers resident questions in 72 languages, from trash pickup schedules to pothole reports. For immigrant and refugee families, Sunny makes public services more accessible. Aurora, one of the most diverse cities in Colorado, could benefit from exploring similar tools. With residents speaking more than 130 languages at home, AI could help bridge communication gaps and improve trust between families and local government.
For immigrant communities in particular, AI offers promise and peril. Tools like Tarjimly provide real-time translation in underserved languages, helping families navigate schools and hospitals. At the same time, AI-driven surveillance and biased algorithms can deepen inequities if not checked. That is why equity and accountability must stay at the center of any adoption.
A Call to Lead
AI is not just another tool, it is a test for Aurora.
- Will we use it to close gaps, or allow them to widen?
- Will our students learn to shape technology, or simply consume it?
- Will innovation serve equity and sustainability, or leave vulnerable communities behind?
The future of AI in education and civic life will not be measured by how much of it we use, but by how wisely we guide it. Aurora has the chance to lead. By centering students, families, and equity, we can show what it looks like to embrace innovation with courage, integrity, and care for every member of our community.
Anne Keke, PhD is the board president for Aurora Public Schools and an advocate for public education.
AI might seem like a bad thing at a glance, but in reality it helps many. As said in this, it helps/helped many people who could not speak english. it makes things convenient and accessible for entertainment, as shown in sites like chatfAI, or for learning as seen from things like sunny. i feel like yes, kids need to wrrite their own esseys, but its not just the kids. many parents that tell their kid that “they dont know what AI can do” and “no one should use AI” likly use AI themselves to write emails and other work stuff.
Excellent column. It’s good to see APS efforts to incorporate AI for the betterment of all our students. Thank you, Dr. Keke.