Consumers to Creators: Our 2025 journey

Welcome to our Year-End Edition! We're reflecting on a remarkable year of AI innovation, student achievements, and hands-on learning that proved education can be different.!

Reflections from a transformative year

As I write this final newsletter of 2025, I'm reflecting on a year that fundamentally changed how we think about AI education. In January, we wondered if high schoolers could truly build AI applications. By December, our students weren't just building, they were innovating, solving problems we hadn't even thought of, and proving that hands-on AI learning isn't just possible; it's essential.

This year, we watched a 7-year-old grasp that AI isn't magic and that it's just faster at learning and remembering. we saw middle schoolers build mental wellness apps after three sessions. we celebrated high schoolers who created deepfake detection tools because they understood the dangers firsthand. And we witnessed students earn college credit for work they were genuinely passionate about.

The big tech companies raced ahead with capabilities; OpenAI declared "code red" after Google's Gemini breakthrough, Disney invested $1B in bringing characters to Sora, and AI training literally moved to space. Meanwhile, our students focused on something more important: learning to think critically alongside AI, building responsibly, and using technology as a tool for innovation rather than a replacement for thinking.

The year taught us something profound: when you give students the tools to create rather than just consume AI, they see problems the rest of us miss. They build solutions for challenges only they experience. And they develop the critical thinking skills that will define the next decade of innovation.

We also had the opportunity to talk to countless students - both those at school as well as college - and understood the challenges they face, not just with learning AI the right way but also to prepare themselves for the future workforce.

And it's what drives everything we're building for 2026.

-Janani

🎓 College Credit Partnership Launched In November, we announced something that changes everything: students can now earn 3 transferable college credits from University of Colorado Denver through our partnership with LivedX, while building hands-on AI skills. One hour per week. Real projects. College credit. This bridges the gap between high school and college in a way that actually prepares students for the workforce.

🚀 Student Projects That Amazed Us From deepfake detection tools to mental wellness apps, from AI calendar systems to magical pet generators, from beauty recommendation engines to text-based survey platforms, our students built applications that solve real problems with creativity and technical excellence. Every project proved that when given the right tools, students see problems experts miss.

📈 Newsletter Community Growth Our weekly newsletter grew into a trusted resource for hundreds of families navigating AI education, college readiness, and the rapidly changing future of work. We tackled the hard questions: Is your student struggling enough? What happens when AI runs out of fuel? How do entry-level jobs require experience students can't get?

🤝 Partnerships & Recognition Featured as a resource for CU Boulder's High School New Venture Challenge, speaking at Watson Institute's Flagship Fellowship, conducting AI agent workshops for business undergraduates, and building relationships with Entrepreneurship organizations for high schoolers in the US.

🎓 Expanding Our Vision: College Internships As we watched our high school students build sophisticated AI applications, we began exploring how to extend this hands-on learning model to college students through internship opportunities. The future of Flintolabs isn't just about preparing students for college, it's about creating pathways for meaningful work experience that builds real capability at every educational stage.

As we head into 2026, several incredible competitions are still accepting applications where students can showcase their AI skills:

🇺🇸 Presidential AI Challenge (Deadline: January 20, 2026)
Build AI solutions for community problems and compete for up to $10,000 per team member plus a White House showcase.
Learn more →

🤖 USA-North America AI Olympiad (Registration: January 26, 2026)
Represent the U.S. at international AI competitions in Abu Dhabi with MIT and Google support.
Register now →

🎓 MIT THINK Scholars Program (Deadline: January 1, 2026)
Present original research to MIT faculty and compete for prizes up to $10,000.
Apply here →

📊 Wharton Data Science Competition (Registration closes: January 28, 2026)
FREE competition analyzing real sports data—perfect for students interested in AI's foundation.
Sign up →

🎨 Stevens Entrepreneurship & AI Pitch (Deadline: January 7, 2026)
Submit a 2-minute video showcasing your AI-powered business solution.
Submit pitch →

💡 Toshiba ExploraVision (Deadline: February 3, 2026)
Imagine how today's technology could evolve 10+ years into the future for $10,000+ in prizes.
Enter competition →

Students in our Innovator track will have the skills to excel in these competitions.

Enroll now with code NEWYEAR50 →

This year, we piloted something new: summer internships that give high school students the opportunity to work on complex, real-world AI projects. These weren't traditional "busywork" internships; they were genuine research and development experiences where students contributed meaningful work.

🦈 Shark Tank AI Agent - Mahika Kasarabada Mahika, a rising senior from New Jersey, spent her summer developing an AI-powered agent that evaluates student startup pitches like experienced investors. She built a full-stack system featuring five distinct "Shark" personas - Investor Shark, Tech Expert Shark, User Advocate Shark, Sustainability Shark, and Wildcard Shark - each bringing a unique lens to business evaluation. Her work will now help future Flintolabs students practice entrepreneurship in a more personalized and dynamic way.

🎮 Social Media Perils Game - Viven Viven tackled a critical challenge: how do you teach young people about the dangers of social media in a way that actually resonates? Rather than lectures or warnings, he developed an interactive game that lets kids experience the consequences of social media decisions in a safe environment. The project combines education with engagement, making abstract dangers tangible through gameplay.

📖 Story-Driven Coding Game - Elsa Elsa built an immersive narrative game for elementary school kids where AI dynamically generates personalized coding puzzles based on each child's interests and skill level, turning abstract programming concepts into interactive quests. The game nurtures creative confidence by rewarding imagination through story-driven challenges, making professional coding tools accessible and fun for young learners.

⛓️ Akash Blockchain Research - Tanish Pai After completing our Innovator Track and building a car price comparison prototype, Tanish was invited to research the Akash blockchain. He dove deep into decentralized technologies, exploring how blockchain platforms could create more equitable digital economies where contributors become owners. His research examined the technical architecture, economic models, and real-world applications of decentralized cloud computing.

Our interns built systems, conducted research, and created solutions that will benefit future students.

🧠 Mental Wellness Journey A 7th grader from Seattle created a safe space for reflection and growth after recognizing her classmates needed ongoing support between mental health lessons at school. Built after just 3 sessions in our Foundations cohort.

📋 FormFlow Raunav transformed the frustration of unanswered Google Forms into a text-first survey platform that makes data collection feel like a normal conversation. Higher completion rates, cleaner data, zero hours spent copy-pasting replies.

💻 PC Build Buddy Rayhan, a 7th grader, tackled the overwhelming process of building custom computers with an AI-powered compatibility checker that makes PC building accessible to everyone.

🐾 Magic Pet Generator Mithra, a 7th grader from Raleigh, brought imagination to life—creating magical creatures from mer-cats to dragons with a single click. Built after just 3 sessions.

🎨 Artisan AI A 7th grader from Seattle made artistic mastery accessible to everyone, allowing users to create art in the styles of Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh, and other legendary artists.

💄 Glow AI Mridula, an 8th grader from North Carolina, solved the universal frustration of buying makeup that doesn't work for your unique features with AI-powered personalized beauty recommendations.

🐶 Puppy Speak Hamsavardini, a 7th grader from North Carolina, built an AI-powered app for new dog owners that helps parents overcome their hesitation about first-time pet ownership.

🎮 Side Questz Nitheesh, a high schooler from North Carolina, transformed screen time into earning time with a platform that teaches teens entrepreneurial skills through flipping and fixing items.

🐱 Hypocats Khadija from Texas created an AI-powered solution for cat lovers with allergies, featuring an interactive quiz and personalized breed recommendations.

🌍 Air to Plate Aleeza, a 9th grader from Texas, connected air pollution to food safety, educating users about air-to-food contamination with real-time AQI monitoring and alerts.

📅 AI Calendar Fadhil, a 12th grader, solved the universal student problem of staying organized with a simple, student-friendly planner that actually works; no overwhelming features, just what you need.

📚 College Admissions AI Elsa, a rising 8th grader from Long Island, watched her brother struggle with tracking college requirements and built a solution that makes finding admission dates and requirements simple.

Each project proved that students who learn to build with AI don't just prepare for the future, they create it.

The AI race accelerated Google's Gemini breakthrough prompted OpenAI to declare "code red." Companies aren't just adding AI features, they're "refounding" from the ground up. Disney invested $1B to bring 200 characters to Sora. AI training literally moved to space with Starcloud launching satellites with GPUs 100x more powerful than anything previously in orbit.

The skills gap widened 92% of companies are investing heavily in AI, but most lack the talent to execute. Only 11% of engineers working in AI roles actually hold AI-specific qualifications. 51% of employers expect graduates to arrive proficient with AI tools, but 43% say universities aren't preparing students adequately.

The education system fell further behind UC San Diego revealed that many freshmen with straight A's in advanced math courses can't round numbers to the nearest hundred, a third-grade skill. 94% of students placed in remedial math had completed advanced courses with an average A-. Credentials without competency is the new normal.

Entry-level jobs became impossible 40% of "entry-level" positions now require 3+ years of experience. The work that entry-level employees used to do to learn from experts is being automated. McKinsey's AI assistant Lilli reduced research time by 30%. The traditional career pipeline is broken.

Global education invested in AI literacy Google committed $30M to AI education worldwide. Estonia gave 20,000 students access to Gemini for Education. Italy integrated AI for 1 million university students. Meanwhile, many U.S. schools continued debating whether to ban AI entirely.

AI safety became urgent 42 state attorneys general urged Big Tech to implement child safety safeguards on AI chatbots, protections that should have been built in from the beginning. OpenAI updated guidelines prohibiting romantic roleplay with teens only after documented harm. The pattern is clear: safety measures are reactive, not proactive.

Students chose responsibility When given the choice, our students gravitated toward projects focused on detection, safety, and social good. They want to be part of the solution. They understand the limitations and dangers. And they're building with ethics in mind.

To our students: Your curiosity, creativity, and courage to build inspire us every single week. You prove that the next generation isn't just ready for AI, you're leading the way in using it responsibly.

To parents: Thank you for trusting us with your student's education and supporting hands-on learning in a world that often defaults to lectures and theory. Your willingness to invest one hour per week is changing your student's future.

To our advisors and mentors: Your guidance, expertise, and willingness to share hard-won wisdom have shaped our curriculum, refined our approach, and helped us avoid pitfalls. Thank you for believing in our mission and investing your time in making hands-on AI education accessible to all students.

To our partners: LivedX and University of Colorado Denver for making college credit possible, CU Boulder's High School New Venture Challenge for featuring us as a resource, Watson Institute for inviting us to share our mission with social entrepreneurs.

To our newsletter community: Your engagement, thoughtful questions, shares, and feedback shape everything we create. You've built this into more than a newsletter, it's a conversation about preparing students for a future we're all navigating together.

Our January cohort starts January 3rd, 2026, and we're extending our holiday offer:

$50 Off Your First Month with 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 need
✅ Experience navigating AI's limitations, evaluating outputs, and building responsibly

Enroll now with code NEWYEAR50 →

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Questions? Email us at [email protected]

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As we plan for 2026, we'd love your input:

📧Leave us a comment and let us know:

We read every response, and your feedback directly shapes our curriculum and content.

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