Some of the nation's wealthy are letting AI teach their kids

Wealthy American families are paying tens of thousands of dollars to replace traditional schooling with AI-based education, effectively turning their children into beta testers for unproven technology. Companies such as Forge Prep and Alpha School charge families for AI tutors and "interactive project-based workshops," with Silicon Valley emerging as a major adopter of the model.

Shaun Johnson, a San Francisco-based venture capitalist, told the Wall Street Journal he plans to send his son to Alpha School's $75,000-per-year kindergarten program. Johnson said, "We recognize that education is likely broken the way it is and there's going to be entrepreneurs that try to fix it… You want someone to be able to think on their feet and navigate the world, not necessarily a recitation of facts in a particular discipline."

Alpha School co-founder MacKenzie Price has said she plans to keep "hot-button social issues" out of the classroom, which critics note could extend to topics like women's rights, America's history of slavery, and the country's immigrant past. Alpha School programs range from kindergarten through high school depending on location. Companies like Forge Prep do not publicly share performance metrics, leaving no evidence that these AI-guided private schools are improving educational outcomes.