Think about something as simple as grocery shopping. You probably buy many of the same items repeatedly, following patterns that would be obvious to anyone analyzing all your grocery purchases. For instance, matzoh at Passover or candy at Halloween. Other patterns emerge too, influenced by age, circumstances, weather, events, and more. It seems straightforward, right? While I’m not here to promote the grocery industry’s drive to automate your shopping or predict your impulse buys, education is becoming a lot like that.
Wake up, get dressed, go to school, sit in classes, walk the halls, eat lunch, take gym, art, or shop, then go back to more classes and head home. Once home, you might sit in front of a computer or phone until a parent nudges you to go outside or do homework. Does this routine work for everyone? Some students head to jobs after school, others play sports, and in college—where schedules have fewer classes—it’s much the same. But how much real learning happens in a day? How many new experiences, discoveries, or moments of creativity and engagement? For most, not much—except on rare occasions. Why?
Because it’s hard. Hard to engage anyone without the high-impact draw of big screens, special effects, beauty, intrigue, mystery, or even violence—the things movies, games, and TV provide effortlessly. In education, we've tried everything: video lessons, immersive reality, headsets, field trips, interactive classroom activities, simulations, group discussions, jokes, incentives, even candy. Yet it’s still a struggle. People are hard to engage.
What about tutors? Good tutors take a different approach. They build relationships. They learn their students’ strengths, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes. They mentor and motivate, making the student want to succeed—not just for the tutor’s approval but for their own growth. With this kind of personal, intimate understanding, tutors can create meaningful educational experiences.
Now, imagine this: near my house stands a massive high school—Alderdice High School. It has endless hallways, countless classrooms, a gym, a pool, a shop, an auditorium, art and music rooms, tech spaces, and science labs. Picture every one of those rooms transformed into spaces where students do something: create, collaborate, experiment, act, play, build, meditate, or discuss. No more rows of desks for passive listening. Every room has a purpose, and students choose where to go. And the school isn’t closed in summer. These spaces grow and evolve, just like the world they reflect, incorporating new fields, technologies, arts, and ideas.
The foundational learning—math, reading, science—happens with AI tutors. These tutors guide students at a personalized pace with intentionality and adaptability. Education splits into two complementary streams: learning and doing. The exact logistics can be figured out by smarter minds, but the concept is clear. Just as AI is becoming a part of our lives in work, shopping, cooking, travel, and entertainment, it will become a cornerstone of lifelong learning, adapting to a world of constant change.
Education at all levels—college, grad school, professional training, and beyond—will shift. Learning will bifurcate: factual knowledge, concepts, and processes will be delivered by a tireless, all-knowing AI tutor tailored to your pace and style. Meanwhile, collaborative learning, creativity, and social engagement will happen with and among people.
It’s a vision for the future that blends the best of AI and human connection. Doesn’t it sound promising?