I believe that we need to work backwards -- we start by looking at the result, what we want out of our students, and then we devise a curriculum and method of delivery which will (we hope) connect to some of the students, some of the time. What is that end result? Is it skills? Skills are attained faster and more consistently by AI. Memorization of facts? AI has a wonderful memory. Problem solving skills? AI can solve problems for us.
If AI can explain everything to us in a way that each of us can understand, then we can stop having a one-size-fits-all approach to schooling. We can take the notion of individualized instruction to the extreme!
[what follows is AI's revision of some mad thoughts I put together -- I thin kthe AI did fine so who needs to learn to write?]
Is any skill still valuable? If AI can now create what I would once have needed training to produce, what is the purpose of training me at all?
Human intelligence has a significant genetic component, but development is also shaped by experience. With individualized, self-directed education, people may grow into more authentic versions of themselves, because their learning paths follow their genuine interests.
Imagine a system where, from birth, a personalized learning platform accompanies a child. It observes the infant’s environment, records stimuli, tracks reactions, and gradually builds an understanding of the child’s preferences, responses, and developing abilities. Over time, this system becomes a lifelong tutor.
Using biometric cues—eye dilation, pulse responses, attention patterns, conversations—the tutor learns what engages the child. It then curates media and educational inputs matched to those interests. Standard curricula could be woven organically into the content the child naturally gravitates toward. The child still meets the Department of Education’s standards, but the path toward those standards is customized.
Instead of asking, “Why do I need to know this?” students would experience academic skills—communication, math, scientific thinking—as directly relevant to something they already care about. Their curiosity drives the learning. If a child becomes fascinated with a topic, the tutor can show that the next level of mathematics or literacy unlocks deeper understanding. The child begins to ask for increasingly complex material because it empowers him/her to explore what they already find meaningful.
Education then becomes both a reflection of a child’s emerging identity and a predictor of his or her future interests as an adult. This is home schooling, just at a socializing center.
Human teachers, in this scenario, shift roles. Instead of delivering standardized instruction, they act as facilitators of social interaction, collaboration, play, and emotional development. They create safe environments, help students work together, ensure healthy time away from screens, and guide activities that AI cannot replace.
Eventually, these tutors may even be able to connect students with others who share similar interests, habits, or learning profiles. With access to a broad network of data, the tutor could match individuals in ways that make collaboration and social learning more meaningful, personalized, and effective.
