Matt Paige and EdTech veteran Todd Brekhus discuss how generative AI, like past technologies (calculators, the internet, Google), is being used by students to shortcut homework and why the key issue is redesigning education to deepen learning rather than trying to stop AI use.Brekhus contrasts the internet’s access-to-information shift with generative AI’s content-creation shift, arguing educators were caught flat-footed and need awareness, tools, and curriculum changes.He emphasizes empowering teachers first through personalization driven by frequent, granular measurement and data that informs instruction, moving beyond latent end-of-year testing toward mastery-based feedback loops and more embedded, contextual assessment.They explore maker-style, collaborative learning enabled by AI and “vibe coding.” Breca describes Renaissance’s internal AI upskilling and Renaissance Intelligence, which unifies data from 20 acquisitions into an AWS/Snowflake backbone to deliver a unified UX, recommendations, and trusted, standards-aligned, classroom-personalized instruction.--Key Moments:01:23 Homework Shortcut Reality04:21 Kids Adopt First05:27 Internet Era Lessons12:00 myON Unlimited Reading16:05 Personalization Starts Teachers21:53 Trusted Data And Measurement26:07 Mastery Model With AI Assist27:44 AI Should Challenge Learners28:42 Rethinking Assessment Loops31:21 Data Driven Skill Insights33:50 Connecting Learning to Purpose36:02 Vibe Coding for Teachers37:29 Future School Makerspaces40:33 Balancing Creation and Effort41:39 Renaissance AI Transformation44:40 Agentic Dev and Legacy Systems48:21 Renaissance Intelligence Platform--Key Links:Renaissance LearningConnect with Todd on LinkedInMentioned in this episode:Free report from HatchWorks AI — State of AI 2026What’s real in AI this year, what’s hype, and what leaders should prioritize — including production lessons, designing for agents, and governance. https://hatchworks.com/state-of-ai-2026/

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