Technology on WACN 21 News

Georgia teachers embrace AI for lesson planning, but worry about student thinking skills

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 08:00:00 -0400

Nearly 60 percent of Georgia’s public-school teachers are now using generative artificial intelligence tools for instructional planning and preparation, according to a report released this week by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts.

The finding represents a striking rate of adoption for a technology that was barely on educators’ radar three years ago — and it comes with both enthusiasm and unease.

What teachers are doing with AI

The audit surveyed a representative sample of teachers across metro Atlanta, middle Georgia, and rural districts in the southern part of the state. The most common uses reported were:

Tech Square Expansion Cements Atlanta's Standing as Southeast Innovation Capital

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:30:00 -0400

ATLANTA — The cranes rising above Midtown Atlanta tell a story that goes far beyond construction. Tech Square, the innovation district anchored by Georgia Tech, is entering its next phase of expansion — and the numbers behind it underscore why Atlanta is increasingly mentioned alongside Austin, Boston, and the Bay Area as a top-tier technology hub.

A Record Year for Investment

In 2025, metro Atlanta attracted $1.2 billion in venture capital, much of it flowing into startups and established firms clustered around Tech Square and the broader Midtown corridor. The investment surge reflects a city that has moved well beyond its traditional strengths in logistics and hospitality to compete aggressively in sectors that define the modern economy.

Opinion: Georgia Teachers Are Embracing AI. The State Needs to Catch Up.

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 07:00:00 -0400

Here is a fact that should both encourage and unsettle Georgia’s education leaders: more than half of the state’s teachers are already using artificial intelligence tools to plan their lessons, draft assignments, and differentiate instruction for their students. They are doing this largely on their own, without statewide guidance, uniform training, or a clear policy framework.

That’s the reality on the ground. And it demands a response.

The Quiet Revolution in Georgia Classrooms

We are not talking about some far-off future where robots replace teachers. We are talking about right now — about the high school English teacher in Cobb County who uses an AI assistant to generate reading comprehension questions tailored to three different skill levels. The middle school math teacher in Bibb County who feeds her learning standards into a chatbot and gets a week’s worth of warm-up problems in minutes. The special education coordinator in DeKalb County who uses AI to draft individualized education plan language, freeing up hours she once spent on paperwork to spend with her students instead.

Georgia's Data Center Boom Is Reshaping the State's Economy — and Straining Its Power Grid

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 10:00:00 -0400

Georgia has quietly become one of the most aggressive data center markets in the United States, with a construction pipeline that now rivals — and by some measures surpasses — Northern Virginia’s long-standing dominance. The explosion is driven by surging demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure and cloud computing capacity, and it is reshaping the state’s economy in ways that extend far beyond the tech sector.

But the growth comes with a significant cost: an increasingly strained power grid that is forcing utilities, regulators, and local governments to confront hard questions about energy infrastructure, environmental impact, and who pays for the build-out.