A Serious Update Worth Paying Attention To

Let’s hit pause on all the fun tech tools for a moment and talk about something that’s less flashy but really important—ethics in EdTech.

SchoolAI recently announced a set of changes to its Historical Figure Spaces. Yes, it’s a tech update—but it’s also a story about responsibility, student safety, and what we should expect from companies creating tools for our classrooms.

The Backstory: Where Things Went Wrong

Here’s what happened.

Educators started raising very real, very valid concerns about how SchoolAI’s avatars were portraying certain historical figures, especially Anne Frank and others connected to complex, painful parts of history.

There were reports of concerning responses about the Holocaust, and other overly simplified or even harmful portrayals being delivered through these AI-generated interactions.

And yeah, let’s be clear:
❌ Not okay.
❌ Not historically responsible.
❌ Not something we can afford to ignore.

The worry was that students could stumble into conversations with AI avatars that oversimplified—or worse, misrepresented—sensitive historical topics. Not exactly the classroom learning experience we’re going for.

What SchoolAI Did About It

To their credit, SchoolAI listened. They released a public statement (basically a blog post) outlining some thoughtful updates to the Historical Figure Spaces.

Here’s what they changed:

• ✅ Added safeguards to improve historical accuracy
• ✅ Provided fuller context to AI-generated content
• ✅ Made teacher-led moderation a core feature

So instead of tossing students straight into an unsupervised AI chat with a “historical figure,” now teachers have:

• More control
• More visibility
• And (hopefully) a little more confidence in what students will experience

Is it perfect? Nope. But it’s a step forward—and more importantly, it’s a company listening and responding to educators.

The Debate Isn’t Over

While the update is a good step, some educators still feel it doesn’t go far enough.

Here are just a few of the ongoing concerns being voiced:

• 🤖 Making tech feel too human — Blurring lines between fact and fiction
• 🧠 Bias + inaccuracy — AI still isn’t perfect at historical nuance
• 🧍‍♂️ Consent issues — Historical figures never agreed to be AI chatbots
• 🚫 Problematic personas — What do we do with avatars of flawed figures like enslavers or war criminals?
• 💬 Weirdness factor — Pretending to talk to the deceased raises serious classroom questions

So yeah, even though some improvements have been made, the conversation about what shouldn’t be AI-ified is far from over.

Why This Matters for Educators

This situation with SchoolAI is important, not just because of what happened, but because of what it represents:

• A reminder that not all tech is ready for the classroom
• A chance to model critical thinking and digital responsibility
• A call for educators to keep speaking up when tools miss the mark

It also opens the door to bigger discussions with students about truth in storytelling, ethics in AI, and what it means to represent history responsibly.

What’s the Takeaway?

⚠️ The Problem:

• SchoolAI’s historical avatars were misrepresenting sensitive topics, including the Holocaust

🔁 The Response:

• SchoolAI added:
  • Safeguards
  • Context
  • Teacher moderation

🤔 The Ongoing Questions:

• Should these kinds of tools exist at all?
• How do we handle ethics + accuracy in AI-generated learning tools?
• Where should we draw the line?

Your Voice Matters

Now more than ever, companies building tools for classrooms need to hear directly from educators.

Have you used SchoolAI’s historical figure spaces?
Do you feel the updates go far enough?
What’s your take on AI avatars in education?

👇 Share your thoughts in the comments below:

• What concerns do you still have?
• What should responsible AI in classrooms look like?
• What other companies should be learning from this?

Let’s keep the conversation going—for our students and the future of ethical EdTech.