How We Can Step In: A Parent-Led AI Education

I spend a lot of time in a lot of different schools—urban, suburban, private, charter, parochial—and what I'm seeing is a "hot mess" approach to AI. The prevailing attitude is one of fear and preservation. They're worried about cheating, about losing control, and about AI making their current methods obsolete. Teachers and administrators are busy drawing lines in the sand, banning tools, and policing student use. It’s a reactive posture that will only widen the chasm between the education they offer and the skills our children will actually need.

Unfortunately, this reactive stance is understandable. Schools, once a place we had relatively universal agreement on, are now more politicized and polarized than ever before. School leaders are grappling with raucous school board meetings and the sadly increasing frequency of school shootings. They are doing all they can just to hold everything together. This makes it the worst possible time for them to tackle the seismic, rapid changes that AI is bringing about.

But the future isn't waiting. A Goldman Sachs report suggests that two-thirds of jobs in the US and Europe are exposed to some degree of AI automation, and a McKinsey Global Institute report predicts that by 2030, 70% of companies will have adopted at least one type of AI technology. This isn't a speculative future; it's our imminent reality.

I'm not naive about this. I know that if given the choice, most people will let AI do the thinking and work for them. This is precisely why we have to be ready to teach differently. It’s not just about rethinking what we teach in schools, but about fundamentally restructuring how schools operate. We need to move beyond outdated models and create an environment where students learn to partner with AI, not just use it as a shortcut. It will be more critical than ever for students to understand the difference between facts, evidence, and reality versus hype, opinion, and zeitgeist.

This is creating a two-tiered system. While many schools are still stuck in a cycle of banning and restricting, a few elite, well-funded institutions are fully embracing AI as a tool for accelerated learning. Consider a school like Alpha Academy, which charges an annual tuition of around $40,000 and integrates AI into its curriculum to teach students at their own pace. The privileged few who can afford to attend institutions that are future-proofing their children's education will have a massive advantage. Meanwhile, the vast majority of kids, regardless of their background, are being left behind.

The responsibility, then, falls on us. As parents, educators, and community leaders, we have to demand better. We need to advocate for a paradigm shift in education that moves beyond banning to embracing, from fearing to teaching. Until our schools catch up, we are going to need parents to step in and fill the gap.

How We Can Step In: A Parent-Led AI Education

Filling this gap doesn't mean you have to be a tech expert. It means shifting your mindset from a place of fear to one of proactive engagement.

Start by modeling a new approach. Instead of treating AI as a tool for cheating, show your kids it's a tool for collaboration and creativity. This starts with you. If you don't know how to use an AI tool, learn with them. Use AI to generate an image for a family project, write a silly story, or brainstorm ideas for a weekend activity. This helps them see AI as a partner, not a shortcut.

Our job as parents is to teach the essential "human" skills in this new context. For example, when you use AI, make it a game to "fact-check" the output. Ask your kids, "How do we know this is true?" or "What source can we check to verify this?" This teaches them to be discerning consumers of information. We also need to teach them that AI is only as good as the questions it’s asked. Encourage them to be specific and creative in their prompts, a form of critical thinking that forces them to organize their own thoughts before engaging with the AI.

The most important part of this conversation is about the big questions. We must talk with our children about the ethical and social implications of AI—discussions about bias, data privacy, and the unique value of human creativity. These are the skills that no AI can replicate.

By taking these steps, parents can ensure their children are not just prepared for a world with AI, but are equipped to lead in it. We can't wait for the education system to catch up—it's a task that falls to us, and it starts today.