In 2014, Mackenzie and Andrew Prize pursued their dream of ensuring their children have an efficient and tailored education. Starting with a mere 16 students, they began an almost entirely AI-powered school. This concept grew as the years went by, leading to an official campus and currently, almost 200 students.
The word Alpha has Greek roots, the first letter of the Greek Alphabet. Due to this, it also symbolizes power and superiority, which is exactly what Mr and Mrs. Prize were hoping to see in their children. By incorporating artificial intelligence, they made sure that each child was allowed to reach their full potential. Now, a teacher’s lack of talent or a classmate’s reluctance to learn would not hold a child back in this environment.
Today, the Alpha School is one of the top primary schools in the country, with 99th percentile achievement rates as well as 94.7% graduation rates. Located in Austin, Texas, the Alpha School boasts about its 2x in 2 hours method. The idea is that students who spend 2 hours per day focused on school are twice as successful as students who attend a regular 8-hour day. The curriculum is entirely made and taught by AI, while teachers play a minor role in monitoring the classrooms.
Though this new design of a school seems innovative, there are some doubts that come up since students would be heavily relying on AI in the classroom. Another consistent doubt is AI’s negative impact on student creativity.
In a study at USC, some students stated that once they see an AI’s ideas, they feel as though they have a hard time coming up with their own, showing negative effects on their creative output. Additionally, though AI can supplement students with ideas, they are typically repetitive when looked at on a larger scale. In an interview with Ms. Cope, when responding to art being taught by AI, she stated, “If we don’t keep being creative and doing our own thing as a human, we will only plateau.” In a school that’s entirely AI empowered, AI becoming over-reliant could cause a significant issue.
Another point of concern in an AI-powered school is human interaction. Many worry that with the increased use of AI, human-to-human interaction will decrease in our lives. This can especially be a topic of concern for teens and kids who are currently going to school and developing a lot of their social skills in these settings. When discussing AI with Mr. Hurlburt, he stated, “I would say we should tread lightly,” portraying AI as a great tool that should be used with caution.
However, the Alpha school does seem to be using AI in the most cautious yet efficient manner. Their curriculum is not only academically heavy, but it also supports regular life skills, similar to changing a tire. These skills are often undervalued by standard public school systems, where academic excellence is prioritized over guiding students in the best way possible to succeed in adult life.
When prompted about the ideas behind this school, Mr. Knapp said, “That sounds like an awful idea in my opinion! I don’t think that AI can replace a human teacher – interacting with AI is not the same as interacting with an actual teacher.” Children are more likely to make fewer social connections when they are absorbed in an AI-controlled environment rather than hands-on time with teachers. This can negatively impact their future relationships, whether professional or personal.
It seems as though the Alpha School has addressed many of these issues with its Life Skills Workshops. Life Skills Workshops are sessions where students develop their creative skills with activities, such as public speaking or coding. Through these workshops, students are also taught about different social skills, but they also seem to show that, as much as a school is AI empowered, a human touch is always needed. As described by Mr. Hurlburt in an interview, “I think we lose something without having that personal touch.”
