US charity plans AI monitoring of Gaza classroom speech, drawing privacy and ethics concerns

Left · 1A US charity operating in Gaza, the Gaza Children Village, plans to record classroom conversations and use artificial intelligence to flag speech deemed "hateful" or "inciting", citing concern that teachers could deviate from a curriculum meant to promote peace and tolerance. 1 Left · 1Al Jazeera reported that the charity announced it will use AI software to monitor Gaza classrooms for "anti-Semitism" and "hate speech", in a segment that also noted Israeli airstrikes killing Palestinians across the Gaza Strip. 2 Left · 1According to the Independent, which carried what appears to be an Associated Press report, founder and CEO Dr David Hasan outlined the plan in a webinar with humanitarian organisations last month. Under it, classroom audio would be analysed for "antisemitic", "inciting" or "hateful" terms, and an alert would go to Hasan, who could follow up with the teacher. He said recordings are kept for 72 hours. 1

Left · 1Hasan told the webinar: "I know it’s controversial, but trust me, it’s the only way we feel for us to survive and deliver this curriculum." He declined to comment for the report. 1 Left · 1A pre-August text message from Hasan, reviewed by The Associated Press, said the technology had been tested, with deployment planned across dozens of classrooms. It also said the system was built with PollyLabs, a New York nonprofit, but PollyLabs said it had no role in developing or deploying it. 1 Left · 1It is unclear when monitoring will start, which words will trigger alerts, or whether teachers, students and families have been told. The report says there is no evidence the charity intends to share recordings with third parties. 1

Left · 1Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian American activist on the charity's board, said he was unaware of the initiative and that it had not been discussed with the board. He said cameras to monitor performance are acceptable but not cameras "to silence students and teachers". An official at a partner aid group said the cameras could force a reconsideration of the partnership and that AI speech monitoring opens a "Pandora’s box". 1 Left · 1Palestinian Authority spokesperson Mohammad AbuAlrob said he lacked enough information to assess the charity's curriculum but that installing classroom surveillance would cross "an important line". Ines Abdel Razek of the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy said "they’re trying to control the minds of new generations". 1 Left · 1The charity, which runs schools under the name Academies of Hope and opened its first facility last summer, is funded mainly by individual donors, including American Jews. Its lessons are largely drawn from the Palestinian Authority curriculum, with content glorifying violence or promoting anti-Israel or antisemitic views removed, according to Hasan. Advocacy groups say it operates without accountability to local or UN bodies that traditionally oversee Gaza's schools. 1

Left · 1The plan comes amid fear of surveillance in Gaza after three years of war; the Israeli military has used AI to analyse intercepted communications and identify targets. UNICEF estimates hundreds of thousands of Gaza children are out of school. 1