The Responsible AI for Learning Lab · UW–Madison
We ask where and whether AI belongs in classrooms — not just how to put it there.
TRAIL Lab is an interdisciplinary research group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying the responsible use of AI in real-world classrooms. We work with teachers, students, researchers, engineers, and the complex contexts in which learning happens.
PI
Shamya Karumbaiah
Established
2023 · Madison, WI
§ 01 · Disciplines
Four Disciplines We Focus On
- 01
Learning Sciences
Understanding how people learn across cognition, culture, and context to support their learning.
- 02
AI Ethics
Addressing bias, privacy, and equity concerns to ensure responsible AI use in education.
- 03
Learning Analytics
Mining patterns in process data to surface key moments in teaching and learning.
- 04
Human-Centered Design
Co-designing with educators and learners from the get-go with iterative improvements from classroom implementations.
A defining stance
“Should AI be in education at all? That is the question we are willing to answer no to. The work begins there — with consent, evidence, and the people who live with the consequences.”
§ 03 · News
Recent news.
Talks, papers, panels, awards. The work in motion.
Kaycie Barron presented on Translanguaging, Systemic Functional Linguistics, and Artificial Intelligence in K-12 Science Classrooms: A Multiple Case Study at the American Education Research Association conference in Los Angeles, California.
Kaycie Barron was awarded the 2026 Michael Vincent O’Shea and Harriet Frisbie Eastabrooks O’Shea Fellowship for her work on advancing ethical AI applications in bi/multilingual learning contexts.
Kaycie Barron presented on Characterizing Language Model Biases Using Linguistic Variations in Translanguaging at the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) conference in Chicago, Illinois.
Alina Guha presented on Teacher Perceptions on AI Support for Bi/multilingual Learners: Superpowers and Constraints at the Artificial Intelligence in Education conference.
Shamya Karumbaiah was an invited speaker at the "AI and Society" event hosted by the Wisconsin International Resource Consortium.
Kaycie Barron presented on Evaluating Language Models Using Linguistic Variations in Multilingual Learners’ Writing at the International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) in Helsinki, Finland.
28 entries total
§ 04 · An invitation
Join the inquiry.
We work with educators, students, scholars, and engineers — anyone willing to sit with hard questions about AI in learning and answer them with evidence. Whether you are a prospective PhD student, a teacher curious about co-designing tools, or a researcher looking to collaborate, we want to hear from you.