A new format of private education is gaining popularity in the US: instead of traditional lessons, homework, and teachers, artificial intelligence, personalized learning programs, and the development of practical skills.
A new format of private education is gaining popularity in the US: instead of traditional lessons, homework, and teachers, artificial intelligence, personalized learning programs, and the development of practical skills.
According to The Wall Street Journal, wealthy parents are increasingly choosing such schools, believing that classical education no longer prepares children for a world where AI will play a key role.
One of the most famous examples was Alpha School, which has opened new campuses across the country in the past year, spends about two hours a day with an AI tutor, then moves on to team projects, entrepreneurship, public speaking, coding, or creative pursuits. The rest of the learning process is personalized by AI.
Another example is Forge Prep in New Jersey. Its founder positions the school as an educational institution «built for 2040, not 1940.» Here, children are taught not only math or science, but also negotiation, sales, product development, and starting their own business. If a graduate decides to found a startup after school, he can receive up to $200,000 in seed investment from the school.
Supporters of the new model believe that a personal AI tutor can be more effective than the classic system, where one teacher works with several dozen children at once.
Algorithms analyze a student’s performance, task completion speed, and even concentration level, then automatically change the learning program for the following days or weeks.
Alpha School’s supporters include investors, entrepreneurs, and representatives of the technology industry. For example, San Francisco venture capitalist Sean Johnson explained his choice by saying that the children of the future do not need to memorize facts, but the ability to quickly adapt and solve non-standard tasks.
By the way, such schools are not accessible to everyone.
The annual cost of tuition at Alpha School in some cities reaches $75,000, while Forge Prep also plans to raise fees to about $60,000 per year after launch.
Despite their popularity among wealthy families, the effectiveness of AI schools has yet to be proven. Since private alternative educational institutions are not required to publish learning outcomes or performance statistics, it is virtually impossible to independently assess their quality.
Stanford University professor Caroline Hawksby notes that there is currently little scientific evidence to support the superiority of such models over traditional education. At the same time, she acknowledges that technology workers are the first to realize how much artificial intelligence will change the labor market, which is why they are ready to experiment with new learning formats.
Other experts warn that using titles like «guide» or «coach» instead of «teacher» may diminish the role of educators, and the model itself risks turning into an expensive experiment without a sufficient evidence base.
