Statewide AI as vendor lock‑in

Microsoft will provide free AI tools and training to all 295 Washington school districts and 34 community/technical colleges as part of a $4B, five‑year program. Free provisioning can set defaults for classrooms, shaping curricula, data practices, and future costs once 'free' periods end. Leaders pitch urgency ('we can’t slow down AI'), accelerating adoption before governance norms are settled. — This raises policy questions about public‑sector dependence on a single AI stack, student data governance, and who sets the rules for AI in education.