🌟 Founder musings
When managing AI feels a lot like managing people
This week gave me one of those quiet but unsettling realizations, the kind that lingers long after the conversation ends.
I've been using AI to streamline different parts of my job: research, analysis, drafting, problem-solving. Small integrations that save 20 minutes here, an hour there. When I casually mentioned some of these workflows to friends, their reactions surprised me: "Wait, you can use it for that?" "I never thought to ask it that question."
That's when it hit me: the real AI divide isn't between people who use AI and people who don't. It's between people who've figured out how to integrate AI into their actual workflows versus people who just know AI exists.
Then I came across a LinkedIn post that reframed everything. The author argued that "vibe coding" isn't outsourcing work to AI. It's managing an AI worker. This clicked immediately. The best AI users aren't necessarily the most technical. They're the best at giving clear instructions, breaking down ambiguous problems, supervising output, and providing useful feedback when results miss the mark.
It made me wonder: are people who've managed software engineers before actually better vibe coders? They already know how to decompose problems, set context, and review technical work critically. Management instincts map perfectly to working with AI.
This creates an unexpected opportunity for our students. When they build AI applications at Flintolabs, they're not just learning technical skills. They're learning how to manage AI collaborators. Our Startup School students iterate on their ideas multiple times. Each iteration teaches them something you can't get from theory: how to give clearer requirements, how to evaluate outputs critically, how to recognize when the first result needs work.
This week I was also on a podcast called "The Ripple Effect" hosted by one of our former interns. We talked about navigating the corporate world, and my big advice was simple: find mentors and ask for help. Theory only gets you so far. You learn by doing with someone who can catch your mistakes and show you what you're missing.
I think the same thing applies to learning AI. Watching tutorials won't cut it. Our students iterate, get feedback, and build again. That's where the real learning happens. Maybe what we're really teaching isn't how to use AI tools. It's how to work alongside AI while developing the judgment to do it well.
-Janani
🗓️ Opportunities to not miss for high schoolers!
Rolling Application Deadlines:
January 1, 2026
March 1, 2026 (General application)
May 1, 2026 (Final application)
Competition Period: June 2026
What: A FREE national program where high school students learn AI, compete, and win $50K+ in scholarships and prizes. No prior AI or programming experience required!
Who: All U.S. high school students ages 14+. Applications reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis after each deadline—apply early to secure your spot!
What Makes It Special:
Entirely virtual - all you need is a laptop
Interactive training in Python, Rust, or Java
Real-world problem-solving with AI tools
Certificate recognized by top universities (Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, Duke, and more)
Mentorship and community connection
Organized by Correlation One, which has successfully executed 150+ data science competitions globally
Prizes:
$50,000+ in scholarships and prizes
Latest tech and campus essentials
Hundreds of prizes through skill contests and raffles
Career opportunities with leading AI companies
Perfect for: Students at all experience levels who want to build real AI skills, boost college applications, and compete for substantial prizes. Whether you're already passionate about AI or just beginning to explore, this competition provides hands-on learning with career-ready skills.
⏰ REMINDER: Presidential AI Challenge Deadline Approaching!
Submission Deadline: January 20, 2026
Don't miss your chance to compete for up to $10,000 per team member and showcase your AI solution at the White House! This is First Lady Melania Trump's nationwide challenge inviting K-12 students to "unleash their imagination and showcase the spirit of American innovation."
Two Tracks:
Track I (Proposal): Create an in-depth proposal for applying AI to solve a community problem
Track II (Technical): Build a working AI solution (apps, websites, tools) that addresses community challenges
The deadline is just days away!
🚀 Stay Inspired
📊 Starting 2026 with AI Education Stats that matter
As we kick off the new year, here are the numbers every student and parent should know:
Student AI usage
86% of higher ed students use AI as their primary research partner
Only 10% of K-12 students feel school is preparing them for an AI world
Student AI usage jumped from 66% in 2024 to 92% in 2025
The teacher gap
68% of urban teachers received no AI training whatsoever
60% of teachers use AI personally, but only 14% of schools teach responsible AI use
The skills crisis
70% of job skills are expected to change by 2030 due to AI
AI education market projected to reach $112.3 billion by 2034
Entry-level jobs increasingly require AI fluency employers can't find
The bottom line: Students are already using AI everywhere. Schools aren't teaching them how to use it responsibly. And the job market is evolving faster than education can adapt.
The students who develop hands-on AI skills understanding when, why, and how to evaluate its outputs will enter college and careers with capabilities 90% of their peers lack.
Read more: AI in Education Statistics 2026
🎓 Higher Ed's AI turning point: Experimentation to Essential
After two years of panic and pilot programs, 2026 marks a fundamental shift in how colleges approach AI. As Packback CEO Kelsey Behringer observes, "AI will stop being the thing higher education talks about and become the thing it plans alongside."
The change affects students directly. AI is moving from scattered experiments to institutional infrastructure, influencing which courses get recommended, how at-risk students are identified, and how feedback is delivered at scale. Barbara Kenny predicts that by the end of 2026, AI literacy, the ability to understand, critique, and responsibly apply AI, will be embedded across every degree program.
Perhaps most striking: student culture around AI is shifting. By late 2026, experts predict using generative AI for everything will become taboo among students themselves. Peer accountability will emerge organically as students distinguish between strategic AI use (research, brainstorming) and over-reliance (having AI do all the work). Research from MIT and University of Pittsburgh found that AI use in the classroom lowered brain activity and led to student anxiety, a warning sign that thoughtful integration matters.
For today's high school students, the message is clear: the colleges you'll enter in 2-3 years will expect AI fluency not as an advantage, but as a foundational skill.
🦄 Student spotlight
Rise & Reap Rewards: When waking up early becomes a game
Do you struggle to wake up in the morning? Are you tired of how the day gets messed up when you wake up late?
This week, we're highlighting Eliott, a middle schooler from New York and one of our earliest students at Flintolabs, who turned a daily struggle into a creative AI-powered solution.
Eliott faced the same problem countless students experience: waking up late disrupts the entire day. But instead of accepting this as inevitable, Eliott decided to build something about it.
Rise & Reap Rewards is an accountability streak app designed to incentivize waking up early through gamification and rewards. The app turns the challenge of building a morning routine into an engaging experience where consistency earns tangible benefits.
The app tracks your wake-up streaks, celebrates consistency, and provides rewards that make early rising feel like an achievement rather than a chore. It's a perfect example of using technology to solve problems you personally experience and building solutions that others with the same challenge can benefit from.
🔥 February Cohort: Start 2026 building real AI skills
Our February cohort starts February 7, 2026, just weeks away!
🎁 New Year Special Extended: $50 Off Your First Month
Use code NEWYEAR50 - valid through January 31st, 2026
What you get with just one hour per week:
✅ Hands-on AI skills through building real applications, not watching lectures
✅ 3 transferable college credits from University of Colorado Denver
✅ Portfolio of real work that demonstrates capability to colleges and employers
✅ Small class sizes (capped at 20 students) ensuring personalized attention
✅ The critical thinking, adaptability, and problem-solving skills employers desperately need
✅ Experience navigating AI's limitations, evaluating outputs, and building responsibly
Why hands-on learning matters now more than ever:
86% of students use AI, but only 10% feel prepared for an AI-driven world
70% of job skills will change by 2030 due to AI
51% of employers expect graduates to arrive proficient with AI tools
43% say universities aren't preparing students adequately
While other students just consume AI-generated content, Flintolabs students learn to create with it. Our program teaches you to use AI as a tool for innovation, not a replacement for critical thinking—because understanding the difference is what will set you apart.
The February cohort starts February 7th. Spots are limited—we cap each class at 20 students to ensure meaningful mentorship and personalized feedback.
Our program has a 5-star rating with reviews from both students and parents.
Questions? Email us at [email protected]
Found this valuable? Forward this newsletter to other high schoolers and parents who want to be informed about AI trends and what is needed to prepare for an AI-driven future. Every student deserves the chance to build real skills before college.
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