• Microsoft will donate $4 billion in cash over five years to upskill today’s youth
• AI and cloud skills are lacking, and much of the global workforce needs to adapt
• Teachers are also getting support to help them integrate AI into the classroom

Microsoft has announced a pledge to donate $4 billion in cash over the course of five years to help K-12 schools, community and technical colleges, and nonprofits expand the use of, and training initiative to support, AI and cloud technology.

In a blog post, Microsoft outlined how it wants to support 20 million people by upskilling them with AI tools to support future working environments, starting at a young age.

After months of attempts to obtain the records of Harvard’s international students, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced yesterday it would start sending subpoenas to the university, demanding it turn over the documents.  

“We tried to do things the easy way with Harvard. Now, through their refusal to cooperate, we have to do things the hard way,” said assistant secretary for public affairs, Tricia McLaughlin, in a statement on July 9.  

“Harvard, like other universities, has allowed foreign students to abuse their visa privileges and advocate for violence and terrorism on campus,”she claimed. “If Harvard won’t defend the interests of its students, then we will.”  

Since mid-April, the Trump administration has launched multiple attacks on Harvard for allegedly failing to root out antisemitism on campus and failing to hand over international students’ records, among other accusations.  

The administrative subpoenas, issued by ICE, command Harvard to turn over extensive records on its 7,000 international students since January 2020.  

DHS did not publicly announce a deadline or specify which documents it requires, though past requests have included video and audio footage of international students involved in pro-Palestinian protests, as well as internal emails and administrative memos. The department did not immediately respond to The PIE News’s request for comment.

Harvard University spokesperson Jason Newton called the move “unfounded retribution” by the federal government but appeared to comply with DHS’s demands. 

“Harvard is committed to following the law, and while the government’s subpoenas are unwarranted, the university will continue to cooperate with lawful requests and obligations,” said Newton.  

The power to issue the documents is limited to certain state and federal agencies, without requiring a judge’s approval. But if Harvard refuses to comply, ICE will need to seek a judicial order to enforce the demands.  

Harvard continues to defend itself… against harmful government overreach aimed at dictating whom private universities can admit and hire, and what they can teach

Jason Newton, Harvard University

In what has become a months-long standoff, Newton maintained that Harvard would continue to defend itself against “harmful government overreach aimed at dictating whom private universities can admit and hire, and what they can teach”. 

After the university’s public rebuttal of a long list of government demands on April 16, secretary of homeland security Kristi Noem moved to strip Harvard of its ability to enrol international students on May 22, which was blocked by a judge soon after.

Harvard did submit some international student records to the government on April 30, maintaining it had provided the “information required by law”, though this was subsequently deemed “insufficient” by Secretary Noem.  

In a separate attack, President Trump signed a proclamation attempting to suspend the visas for international students coming to America’s oldest institution, which was also halted by the courts.

The administration’s latest salvo is intended to send a message to campuses across the US.  

It warns: “Other universities and academic institutions that are asked to submit similar information should take note of Harvard’s actions, and the repercussions, when considering whether or not to comply with similar requests”.  

The row with Harvard has been one of the focal points of Trump’s sweeping attacks on higher education, which has seen investigations launched into dozens of universities, a near month-long pause on new student visa interviews and enhanced social media vetting of international students.   

The Wednesday subpoena is the second issued to Harvard is less than two weeks. On June 26, the House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed the university for its financial aid records amid alleged tuition-fixing at the institution.  

Secretary Noem previously called the university’s international student certification “a giant cash cow for Harvard”. 

Writing in an op-ed in the Washington Post, Noem claimed the institution had “fostered antisemitic extremism” and used taxpayer money to “collaborate with an American adversary”. 

Across the United States, a silent standoff is unfolding in classrooms. It is not about curriculum wars or partisan mandates, but a deeper reckoning over the role of artificial intelligence in shaping young minds. According to a new NBC News Decision Desk poll powered by SurveyMonkey, Americans are almost evenly split on whether AI belongs in schools. Yet, unlike most national debates, this one cuts cleanly through age, party, and ideology.Fifty-three percent of respondents said that incorporating AI tools in classrooms would better prepare students for the future. Meanwhile, 47 percent believed the opposite, asserting that banning such tools would serve students better. This narrow margin reveals a country caught between fear and fascination, between clinging to traditional instruction and racing toward an automated tomorrow.

AI in education without a political script

Remarkably, there are no significant differences in opinion across political lines. Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike are nearly equally divided. This political neutrality is unusual in a country where even textbook content and reading lists have become ideological battlegrounds. Yet AI’s disruptive potential has produced a rare bipartisan ambiguity.Fourteen percent of Republicans, 14 percent of Democrats, and 15 percent of independents said they use AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini “very often.” An additional 28 to 31 percent across all parties reported using them “sometimes.” On questions about AI’s impact on the future, responses remained similarly aligned, with no dramatic variations across party lines.This even-handedness, however, has not translated into regulation. President Donald Trump has reversed many of the oversight mechanisms introduced by the Biden administration. The result is a largely unregulated AI sector, with companies freely embedding tools into educational platforms while Washington remains mostly passive.

Educators sound the alarm

While policymakers hesitate, educators are speaking out. Many teachers and college professors have voiced concerns about the growing use of AI by students. Some fear that AI tools undermine the learning process by encouraging dependency rather than critical thinking. Others worry that AI will accelerate inequality in education, favoring those with access to advanced tools and leaving others behind.In response, schools across the country are taking different paths. Some have returned to handwritten assignments to prevent misuse of AI, while others have adopted AI as a teaching aid, hoping to harness its potential to personalize learning and boost student engagement. OpenAI’s ChatGPT Edu, Microsoft’s Copilot, and Google’s Gemini are being piloted in colleges. Khan Academy and other platforms have also introduced AI-powered tutors designed to work alongside human educators.The lack of consensus among educators mirrors the broader public divide. This uncertainty is not just about technology but about what kind of thinking schools are meant to cultivate.

A nation unsure of its digital destiny

The poll also explored how Americans perceive AI’s long-term impact. Forty-four percent believe AI will make their lives and their families’ lives better, while 42 percent believe it will make things worse. Only 7 percent see AI as a force that will make life “much better,” while 16 percent fear it will make life “much worse.” These responses reflect a public still trying to grasp the full implications of artificial intelligence.In education, that uncertainty becomes even more pressing. Schools are not simply places of content delivery. They are crucibles of cognitive development, where students learn not just information but how to think, question, and create. If AI replaces the struggle of writing or problem-solving with instant answers, what happens to that deeper intellectual growth?

An unfinished policy conversation

The classroom debate around AI is no longer theoretical. It is playing out in real time, often without guardrails. The current vacuum of policy leaves schools and teachers to make decisions without clear guidance. While federal lawmakers debate broader AI regulation, there is little national dialogue specifically about its role in education.This neglect may come at a cost. Without thoughtful integration, AI could widen learning gaps, diminish student effort, and erode the core mission of education. At the same time, rejecting AI entirely could leave American students ill-equipped for a job market increasingly shaped by automation and digital reasoning.

The future is watching

The choices educators and policymakers make now will define not only the role of AI in classrooms but also the values embedded in American education. The debate is no longer about whether AI will shape learning, but how and on whose terms.Artificial intelligence will not wait for consensus. It is already rewriting how knowledge is accessed, how assignments are completed, and how skills are developed. If the United States fails to develop a coherent vision for AI in education, it risks falling behind, not in technology, but in wisdom.The future of learning is being forged today. The question is whether America will lead with clarity or follow with confusion.