Falsehoods Mar Hinsdale D86 Debate Over AI Firm: Official

DARIEN, IL – Hinsdale High School District 86 officials last week defended their effort to team up with tech giant Nvidia on AI.

The district is looking to launch a pilot program with Nvidia.

But officials noted criticism that the district is focusing on Nvidia to the exclusion of other companies.

At Thursday's school board meeting, member Jeff Waters said the district should communicate "aggressively" about its plans.

"I think there have been some misinformation and uninformed comments on social media with respect to the need for a bidding process to manifest here," he said.

The board's president, Catherine Greenspon, said the district doesn't need a bidding process because no money is changing hands.

"We are certainly not the first to consider an AI pilot, but we will be the first to do an Nvidia pilot and gain access to tools and software that currently are not being offered to high school students," she said. "This is a huge opportunity."

Board member Baron Leacock said the district must get out its message to eliminate misunderstanding. He called the proposed pilot "a home run."

The holdup in the partnership is a data privacy agreement, officials said.

In February, the board created a committee to look into an Nvidia partnership.

After that, former board member Kay Gallo filed a complaint with the attorney general's office. She alleged the board broke the state's open meetings law in forming the committee.

The attorney general is looking into it.