Episode 248 - Snow Day Anthems & Denver's ChatGPT Shutdown

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Jan 30, 2026

Richard Charles

Dr. Richard Charles, Denver Public Schools CIO and PhD mathematician leading the district’s AI governance. He explains Denver’s ChatGPT block over privacy and safety, the procurement and vendor criteria they put in place, plans for an AI whitelist, and district AI projects like knowledge management and vendor partnerships.

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INSIGHT

Organization-Wide AI Ownership

Denver prioritized organization-wide AI ownership, not just IT control, via a co-created generative AI readiness checklist.
They formed cross-collaborative teams to prepare teachers and governance rather than ad-hoc pilots.

ADVICE

Tighten Software Procurement

Revamp procurement to require cross-functional review and data privacy before adopting edtech.
Cut shadow software by centralizing approvals and maintaining an approved product menu.

ADVICE

Require Data Privacy Before Adoption

Block or blacklist AI tools that lack data privacy agreements and visibility into prompts.
Move from blacklist to whitelist as vendors meet privacy and safety requirements.

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