Alpha School, an AI-powered institution for youth education, opened its doors in September in Boston to students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Founded in 2014 in Austin, Texas, Alpha School promotes independent learning for youth scholars through AI-powered tutors and programming.
Instead of a traditional eight-hour class day involving student-teacher dynamics and learning alongside peers, Alpha School students learn at their own pace through AI tutors for two hours and spend the rest of the day participating in entrepreneurial workshops. Instead of teachers, the institution has created “guides” who aims to motivate students as they complete their academics.
But Massachusetts teachers are concerned about the future of AI in classrooms, and the conversation has become polarizing in education circles. Erik Berg, president of the Boston Teachers Union, joined Arun Rath, host of GBH’s All Things Considered, to discuss Alpha School and the educational future of children. What follows is a lightly edited transcript of their conversation. A comment from Alpha School in response is at the bottom of this transcript, and a guide at the school is scheduled to be interviewed on All Things Considered in coming days. A transcript of that interview will be linked from this article when it is available.
Arun Rath: So let me ask, what was your first reaction when you learned about these private AI-based institutions opening up to Boston students?
Erik Berg: I mean, honestly, I think my initial reaction was, I wasn’t even sure it was real because the notion that an AI bot would be instructing our children in how to succeed in their futures seems — it really just seems appalling. I think it’s something that I can’t imagine families are clamoring for or asking for.
Rath: And would you say that kind of reaction or — well, talk more directly about what the concerns are as a teacher, understanding that initial reaction.
Berg: I mean, I think anyone who has spent any time in schools know that the fundamental core of successful teaching and learning is about relationships. It’s about human relationships. That’s true between teachers and students. It’s among classmates in a class to build that community of learners.
I would also say that schools do so much more than teaching content. We teach content, we teach it well, and we make sure that our students are academically well-prepared to succeed in the world and the workforce. We also help students socialize, to make friends, to problem-solve in teams, to be citizens of a democratic society, and to do so many things. The notion that we would outsource the education of our children and the preparation of our children to be in society as successful, thriving adults to AI bots is, I think, inconceivable.
I mean, reasonable people can have debates about the proper role of AI in education. It’s something we need to have, we need to talk about, and there are many concerns there also about the role of data privacy, protecting students from the predations of huge tech companies. But the notion that we would outsource part of what makes us human, people have been preparing their children to succeed in the world probably since caveman days.
And to suggest that we’re going to outsource that to tech companies through AI bots and prop our kids up in front of a screen with headphones on, and that’s going to be their preparation to be, as I said, thriving members of a democratic society and successful in the workforce and in life — I just can’t imagine. I think it is outsourcing, frankly, part of what makes us human.
Rath: I know, one of my initial reactions to hearing about this as a parent who had kids going to school during the pandemic was, well, it immediately made me think about that. I know that these are going to still be kids in classrooms, but I felt like we sort of learned a hard lesson about computer or screen mitigated learning.
Berg: Yeah, I think there’s that point, but at least there, there was a human being on the other end who could respond to questions, recognize when you’re frustrated, help you work through difficulty in a compassionate, caring way that’s really geared towards your needs. I mean, now we have kids in this screen-mitigated learning, which is difficult enough, with an AI bot.
I mean, there’s so many things wrong with that, from a lack of ability to recognize the affective component of learning. When kids need something that is more than just a hint at solving a problem, when kids might learn better in a group, there’s just really, honestly, there’s so many problems with it. One is the screen, but beyond that, it’s also the fact that they’re interacting with a bot designed by a billionaire-led tech company that has really more concern with making profits than with preparing young people to be successful in the world.
Rath: The humans in the equation here ... the way that Alpha School describes it, [is] instead of teachers, they have guides who are described as mentors that don’t traditionally teach the students one-on-one, but motivate them to learn through the AI platforms.
Berg: Yeah, I don’t know what that looks like. I know I did read some about Alpha School’s attempts to work with a diverse group of students in Brownsville, Texas, using these guides or facilitators, and it certainly didn’t have good outcomes for the kids. I think that experienced, trained professional educators who know their students, who are able to identify what their students need at this moment as learners and then meet those needs is something that cannot be replaced by bots from a billionaire-led tech company that cares more about profits than about children.
Alpha School responded to Berg’s comments with the following statement: “We often find those who have not been involved with our schools first-hand do not have accurate impressions, including about the approach to learning, the use of AI, the use of screentime, the role of guides, the student experience, and the student-teacher connection — all things you mention your guest Erik Berg, will address. He hasn’t personally witnessed our school and may not present a fair and accurate view. We’d respectfully request the opportunity to respond.”
The following is a statement from Alpha School given to GBH’s All Things Considered:
“We often find those who have not been involved with our schools first-hand do not have accurate impressions, including about the approach to learning, the use of AI, the use of screentime, the role of guides, the student experience, and the student-teacher connection— all things you mention your guest Erik Berg, will address. He hasn’t personally witnessed our school and may not present a fair and accurate view. We’d respectfully request the opportunity to respond.”
