Should AI chatbots simulate care for students? Alberta teachers say no

By Soroush Sabbaghan, Associate Professor, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary

Should schools allow AI systems that don’t just answer students, but appear to care for them?

At its 2026 annual representative assembly, the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) passed a resolution that “anthropomorphic artificial intelligence tools, including AI companions and other AI systems designed specifically to simulate friendship, counselling or intimate relationships, not be deployed or introduced into any Alberta K–12 learning environments or support settings.”

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