Central, South Enter Nvidia AI Partnership, Firm At 'Forefront Of Safety'

HINSDALE, IL – The country's feelings about AI have changed a lot since Hinsdale High School District 86 started considering a partnership with a tech giant.

In January, officials said they were interested in launching a pilot program with Nvidia.

Since then, national polling shows Americans turning against AI and data centers. And they are scrutinizing technology in general, including police cameras and screen time for young students.

In the spring, college graduates booed college commencement speakers who praised AI.

Despite all that, District 86 has pursued the Nvidia initiative.

From the beginning, some residents have questioned the AI partnership, wondering why Nvidia got the edge.

On Tuesday, the school board approved an agreement with Nvidia. And officials posted online answers to frequently answered questions.

Officials said the program would initially target technology support internship students and members of Central and South's AI clubs.

The program, they said, is intended to develop practical skills in AI, accelerated computing and data science.

Under the agreement, all student data remains the district's sole property. And Nvidia is barred from selling district information and delivering targeted advertising.

"Nvidia has been at the forefront of safety and security," said Michael Swanson, District 86's top technology official. "They are the first company with a closed-door system to make sure their AI models are not going rogue, so to speak."

In its FAQ, the district recognized potential drawbacks to the pilot program:

• Students' overreliance on AI-synthesized summaries.
• Students not identifying reliability risks for automated content.
• Students not possessing upper-level math skills to be successful with advanced subjects such as tensor manipulation and gradient descent optimization.