University of Washington researchers planned to have preschool teachers wear body cameras to record children for AI model training, presenting participation as opt-out. A document given to parents described footage capturing "normal interactions" during morning hours, with recordings processed by cloud-based AI services. The goal was to develop tools assessing classroom interaction quality.

After 404 Media reported on the plan, parents revolted over consent and privacy issues. The university terminated the study, stating feedback from early outreach led to the decision. Critics highlighted vague language and lack of multilingual forms, raising concerns about informed consent and future undefined data uses.

Researchers intended to blur faces and share data for future studies, but the opt-out design—where one objection removed an entire class—sparked particular alarm. The episode underscores growing tensions as AI data collection pushes into early childhood settings, forcing institutions to confront ethical implementation.