I’m seeing rampant AI use in colleges as well. Allowing kids to choose their classes will not cause them to stop using AI if they still have requirements they need to fulfill (mandatory deadlines). I’ve even seen people use AI for their own personal passion projects.

At this point, we have to understand that people will use AI, there is no stopping it. We need better AI, stuff that is not so harmful for the planet and hallucinates less. Either that or we stop subsidizing existing AI infrastructure causing it to go under.

And even if schools allowed kids to choose classes, unless they straight up got rid of deadlines, most kids will still take shortcuts. They will want to maximize the amount of time spent socializing and minimize the amount of time learning unless the learning itself is a fun activity.

The ideal future of learning might simply look something like a more advanced version of khan academy combined with physical spaces where kids can use tools/materials to build shit. You could assess students using oral or written exams (they have a choice) that recur periodically and the kids can choose when they are ready. Another aspect that would be important is schools teaching children on how to take care of themselves properly (sleep + diet especially) so that students don’t walk in feeling like zombies. Remove the requirement that students have to be at a specific physical location at specific times (unless a teacher is holding a QA session or there is some combined activity).