Ezra Klein

I have very personally complicated feelings on the question of AI and education, just question of education generally. I hated school, hated it, did terribly in it. Starting in middle school, going through high school, failed classes, just found the whole thing impenetrable.

I have very personally complicated feelings on the question of AI and education, just question of education generally. I hated school, hated it, did terribly in it. Starting in middle school, going through high school, failed classes, just found the whole thing impenetrable.

And not because I wasn't smart, not because I wasn't interested even in things related to it, just somehow the whole construct didn't work for me and I couldn't make it work for me. It wasn't exactly that I was bored. I think today I probably could have muscled through it. But for whatever reason, then I couldn't. But I was voracious outside of school.

And not because I wasn't smart, not because I wasn't interested even in things related to it, just somehow the whole construct didn't work for me and I couldn't make it work for me. It wasn't exactly that I was bored. I think today I probably could have muscled through it. But for whatever reason, then I couldn't. But I was voracious outside of school.

I spent three or four nights a week at Barnes & Noble's. I loved reading deeply into things that I was interested in. And I've related this story before. And one of the sort of reactions I get is, well, you should really then... recognize the way school fails kids. And in a way, I do. But it's just not obvious to me at all that school should be tuned for me.

I spent three or four nights a week at Barnes & Noble's. I loved reading deeply into things that I was interested in. And I've related this story before. And one of the sort of reactions I get is, well, you should really then... recognize the way school fails kids. And in a way, I do. But it's just not obvious to me at all that school should be tuned for me.

Like, one thing that I recognize as somebody who studies bureaucracies is that if you just think of U.S. public education, to say nothing of also private education, to say nothing of global education, it's educating a lot of kids. And its ability to tune itself to every kid is going to be pretty modest.

Like, one thing that I recognize as somebody who studies bureaucracies is that if you just think of U.S. public education, to say nothing of also private education, to say nothing of global education, it's educating a lot of kids. And its ability to tune itself to every kid is going to be pretty modest.

And what kids need is different, but somehow you have to be orienting towards something that works for most of them, even if you're not sure how to make it work for all of them. I'm curious how you think about that.

And what kids need is different, but somehow you have to be orienting towards something that works for most of them, even if you're not sure how to make it work for all of them. I'm curious how you think about that.

Give me one of those examples. One of those examples of a schooling system able to educate in a personalized way at scale that seems to you to be replicable?

Give me one of those examples. One of those examples of a schooling system able to educate in a personalized way at scale that seems to you to be replicable?

I want to zoom in on something in that story, which is that when the student you brought up found the thing that lit her up, she was then able to do better in all the other classes that maybe didn't. This was a little bit of my own experience of life. For me, it was political blogging, of all things, which I found as a freshman in college. And once I activated it,

I want to zoom in on something in that story, which is that when the student you brought up found the thing that lit her up, she was then able to do better in all the other classes that maybe didn't. This was a little bit of my own experience of life. For me, it was political blogging, of all things, which I found as a freshman in college. And once I activated it,

Then I became much better at doing things that I didn't want to do or didn't exactly see the point of in even unrelated fields.

Then I became much better at doing things that I didn't want to do or didn't exactly see the point of in even unrelated fields.

I think what would have been the conventional line on me from the adults who knew me was, smart kid can't get it together.

I think what would have been the conventional line on me from the adults who knew me was, smart kid can't get it together.

Just can't seem to get the homework in. Right. Can't seem to do things he's not that interested in doing. And can't even seem to do the things he is interested in doing in a way that fits what we want from him. I read every book in English class. And I enjoyed doing the essays. Yeah. And I'm a good writer. I think I'm willing to say that at this point in my life.

Just can't seem to get the homework in. Right. Can't seem to do things he's not that interested in doing. And can't even seem to do the things he is interested in doing in a way that fits what we want from him. I read every book in English class. And I enjoyed doing the essays. Yeah. And I'm a good writer. I think I'm willing to say that at this point in my life.