Over the past year, K-12 education leaders have made key progress in seeking national and state-level resources to guide schools and districts in integrating artificial intelligence into classrooms. However, just as schools are receiving more AI support and advice from the federal government and national organizations, warning signs about the potential consequences of misusing the technology are also beginning to emerge. From a steady stream of lawsuits to a surge in deepfake incidents on campus, these challenges could slow schools' efforts to roll out AI tools, according to some K-12 technology experts.

Adding to the uncertainty, experts note that how federal support for AI in K-12 will develop during President Donald Trump's second term remains unclear.

As schools navigate the complexities of using AI in classrooms, here are four trends worth watching in 2025.

District and state AI guidance will increase

Although the direction of federal education AI policy under the second Trump administration remains unclear, Chris Hagel, chief information officer of the Peninsula School District in Gig Harbor, Washington, said schools may have to rely more on national organizations and nonprofits for high-level guidance in 2025 and beyond.

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology has developed useful AI resources and guidance over the past two years, said Pat Yongpradit, chief academic officer at Code.org and head of TeachAI. But Yongpradit does not expect similar federal assistance in the near term.

The Education Department's AI resources "really set the tone for state education agencies," Yongpradit said, adding, "Whatever happens with the Department of Education, state education agencies will carry it forward." With more states expected to continue rolling out their own AI resources, Yongpradit foresees more districts following suit by developing their own policies.

According to TeachAI, a national coalition aimed at guiding schools in the safe and ethical use of AI, 24 states had issued AI education guidance as of November. Code.org is a nonprofit that provides computer science courses and programs to schools.

More AI tools will be tailored for special education and English learners

As special education teachers show growing interest in AI tools, Yongpradit said he expects to see "more tailored experiences" in this area.

In the Peninsula School District, Hagel said leaders are exploring how to securely analyze students' individualized education program data through the district's own enterprise AI system. The ultimate goal, he said, is to use AI to help improve IEPs by comparing students' test data with their IEP goals.

Hagel said there are ways to do this "safely and reliably," and "I don't think people fully understand the underlying technology yet." Still, Hagel strongly advises against using free, publicly available AI tools like ChatGPT for special education needs. However, districts can explore adopting enterprise AI system solutions for special education in environments that are "well-built or secure, where you know the large language model won't save data, won't send it elsewhere, and no one else is storing it," Hagel said.

Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education at Arizona State University, said she expects a rapid rollout of more AI tools this year to support not only special education students but also multilingual learners. She agreed that AI-driven tools could support IEPs in the future. For English learners, Lake expects real-time translation tools to be more widely integrated into classrooms.

Teachers' reliance on AI detection tools will continue to grow

In recent years, teachers' use of AI detection tools has increased as tech companies tout software that can identify AI-generated or rewritten text. Yongpradit said he expects more teachers to choose AI detection tools in 2025. At the same time, public backlash against using such software to address cheating and plagiarism may also grow.

In fact, Yongpradit said he often discourages teachers from using AI detectors. "Even if these tools were perfect—no false positives, no bias," these detectors are designed for specific generative AI models that change frequently, ultimately making the detectors less effective, he said. "The better approach is to figure out why you're teaching this content and why a child would cheat," Yongpradit said. "Does what you're doing itself need to change?"

However, Lake said more teachers may go beyond detection tools. Teachers may seek AI coaches to provide real-time feedback in the classroom, or more teachers may begin using AI for targeted professional development. Lake said personalized instructional tools, such as AI tutors, may also gain popularity among teachers this year.

Some districts will still struggle to integrate AI

Despite AI's growing visibility in K-12, a significant number of districts have yet to begin implementing the technology or continue to ban it outright, Hagel said. However, he hopes most districts will adopt AI to some degree this year.

Meanwhile, Yongpradit said he expects "a large portion of the education community" will still not take much action on AI. That is "simply because they have bigger issues to deal with, and frankly, they do," Yongpradit said.

Lake has heard from multiple districts, both rural and urban, saying they lack the capacity, funding, and time to seriously invest in AI—despite interest. But she said that is exactly where federal and state officials should step in to provide support and guidance. Still, she noted that not many states are offering financial investment for schools looking to innovate with AI tools.

Similarly, some districts continue to struggle with AI implementation because of "a fundamental lack of understanding of how AI works," and they are fearful of it, Hagel said. This challenge highlights the need to rethink how AI is explained to school leaders. "Something has to happen for people to understand the underlying technology behind AI so they can feel more comfortable moving forward with it," Hagel said.

Lake said challenges, including lawsuits over school plagiarism policies or concerns about protecting student data privacy, could have a "chilling effect" on districts looking to advance the technology. While schools should not take unnecessary risks with AI, she said they should feel comfortable experimenting with these tools in controlled, evidence-based environments to find solutions that work for students and teachers.