When AI sprints and schools stall

🎁 New Year Special: Due to overwhelming interest, we're extending our $50 discount into 2026! Use code NEWYEAR50 - valid through January 31st. See details in our call-to-action below!

Two major news items this week painted a stark picture of where we are: OpenAI declared "code red" after Google's Gemini 3 breakthrough, and UC San Diego revealed that many of their freshmen can't do elementary-level math despite having straight A's in advanced high school courses.

The AI companies are in a heated race for capability supremacy. Meanwhile, our education system is inflating grades while student competency collapses.

Here's what I found both surprising and scary from the UC San Diego analysis - roughly one in eight freshmen at this top-ranked university lack basic high-school math skills. Among students placed in remedial math, only 39% could correctly round 374,518 to the nearest hundred - a third-grade skill. Yet 94% of these students had completed advanced math classes in high school and received an average A- in their courses.

As AI capabilities accelerate exponentially, this gap between credentials and actual competency becomes catastrophic. While Google and OpenAI are competing to build increasingly powerful AI systems, our students are graduating without real foundational skills.

The solution isn't lowering standards or eliminating challenging work. It's the opposite: students need hands-on experience that creates confidence and competency. They need to build real projects, struggle through actual problems, and develop the critical thinking skills that come from repeatedly doing hard things. I am in India this week and have been exploring and talking to some of the International Baccalaureate schools about Flintolabs, and their applied curriculum made me feel hopeful. I’ve also been excited to learn about the rise of co-ops in colleges in the US. This is something we need to make the norm in schools and colleges worldwide.

Is our education system making students believe they're prepared when they're not? Are we challenging them enough? Without teaching students the right way to use AI inquisitively, are AI advancements making matters worse?

What’s your opinion about hands-on, applied teaching in schools, AI education and the balance with structured curriculum?

-Janani

Application Deadline: January 1, 2026
Program Dates: March 15-16, 2026

What: MIT's premier science and engineering research competition where high school students present original research projects to MIT faculty and compete for top prizes.

Who: High school students worldwide who have completed significant independent research in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics.

Format: Selected teams present 15-minute talks followed by Q&A sessions with MIT faculty judges. Students showcase research ranging from cancer biology to machine learning applications.

Prizes:

What Makes It Special: Direct feedback from MIT faculty, networking with other young researchers, and the prestige of presenting at one of the world's leading research institutions. Past THINK participants have gone on to win Intel Science Talent Search, publish in peer-reviewed journals, and attend top universities.

Perfect for: Students who have conducted substantial independent research and want to present their work to world-class researchers while competing for significant recognition and prizes.

"I do not know if the job description I am working on will become redundant two years down the lane… People need to think about alternate sources of income." This is Rahul, a 2025 graduate from a tier-1 engineering college in India now working at an IT services firm, expressing what many early-career professionals are feeling.

The article by “The Ken” talks about the "hope gap" - where young employees enter organizations with expectations and land in a reality they didn't sign up for.

The problem isn't just job scarcity. It's that the traditional career pipeline is broken. As one software developer with two years of experience told researchers: "I go to events, trying to understand where I should be upskilling... To be honest, I haven't even started with AI at this point... Where do I start... It is overwhelming, and I take comfort from the fact that my own managers are still figuring out AI."

Here's what's actually happening: AI is automating the "grunt work" that entry-level employees traditionally did to learn from experts. McKinsey's AI assistant Lilli is now used by over 72% of its workforce, reducing research time by 30%. BCG uses Deckster to create presentation decks in minutes. The work being automated isn't trivial - it's the cornerstone of lower-level consulting roles and is encroaching on middle-tier tasks as well.

As Bloomberg columnist Andy Mukherjee argues, the risk of AI-induced automation will be most acutely felt in "cognitive tasks that don't require at least five years of specific vocational preparation." Translation: the exact work entry-level employees do to learn and specialize is disappearing.

Another employee captured the existential crisis: "A lot of my friends are in a dark spot in terms of what they are actually doing. Many also feel that they're not doing anything exceptional. It's work for the sake of work."

The brutal truth? Today's graduates don't just face a tough job market. They face organizations that are themselves figuring out this transition and often can't provide the training, mentorship, or career development that previous generations received. You don't know if you stand out, or if your work matters.

This is why building real skills during high school matters more than ever. By the time students reach their first job, they need foundational capabilities already developed - not because employers are unreasonable, but because the old system of learning on the job is collapsing faster than anyone expected.

Read the full story: Inside the early career hope gap

The Digital Education Council just released research that says this: 51% of employers now expect graduates to be proficient with AI tools before they start working, but 43% say universities aren't preparing students adequately for this reality.

Their latest report, "AI in the Workplace 2025," surveyed over 100 employers representing 4 million workers across 29 countries. The findings reveal a fundamental mismatch between what schools teach and what companies desperately need.

When asked what matters most in new graduates, employers ranked their priorities:

Employers care more about how you think and adapt than what you specifically studied.

Here's the most revealing finding: 53% of employers expressed concern about graduates' ability to critically evaluate AI-generated content. They're not worried about whether students can use AI - they're worried about whether students can think alongside it. This means spotting AI hallucinations and errors, knowing when AI is wrong or biased, building on AI output with original thinking, and understanding AI's limitations in specific contexts.

The research also reveals a stark reality: only 3% of employers believe higher education institutions are adequately preparing students for an AI-driven workforce. Meanwhile, 72% expect AI to reduce headcount in their organizations, but 62% also expect new roles to emerge.

The graduates who thrive will be those who can adapt, think critically, and use AI as a tool for amplification rather than replacement. The employers surveyed aren't looking for AI experts - they're looking for critical thinkers who can work with AI to create value while bringing the judgment, creativity, and human insight that machines can't replicate.

The shift is clear: skills-based hiring is overtaking degree-based recruitment. What you can do matters more than what's printed on your diploma. And the capabilities employers need most - critical thinking, AI fluency, adaptability - can't be crammed into senior year. They develop through hands-on experience over time.

Read more: The skills employers really want in 2025

Ever dreamed of having a pet dragon? A flying unicorn? Or maybe a cat with a mermaid tail swimming through underwater kingdoms?

This week, we're highlighting a 7th grader who's bringing magical creatures to life with the power of AI.

This creative student has always loved animals and fantasy worlds. But they noticed something: while everyone loves imagining magical creatures, most of us can only describe them in words or sketch rough drawings. What if there was a way to instantly bring those magical pets to life in stunning detail?

So they built Magic Pet Generator - a portal to creating one-of-a-kind magical pets!

Here's how it works: With a single click, watch as AI conjures up completely unique fantasy creatures that are as adorable as they are imaginative. From mer-cats swimming through enchanted oceans to dragons perched on mystical mountains, every pet is different, special, and absolutely magical.

What makes this project remarkable isn't just the whimsical result - it's how quickly it came together. This 7th grader built Magic Pet Generator after just 3 sessions in the October Foundations cohort at Flintolabs. In less than a month, they went from learning AI basics to creating an app that sparks joy and wonder with every click.

The best part? Every magical pet is unique, which means your magical companion is truly one-of-a-kind.

The mindset of using technology to amplify human creativity and bring pure imagination to life - is what makes truly delightful applications possible.

Check out the app and leave a like/comment→

Due to overwhelming interest, we're extending our $50 discount into 2026 to give more students the opportunity to start the new year building real AI skills.

🎁 $50 Off Your First Month with code NEWYEAR50
Valid through January 31st, 2026!

Enroll now with code NEWYEAR50 →

Here's what you get with just one hour per week:

Students in our current cohorts are already building AI-powered solutions - from creative tools to problem-solving applications. They're not just learning about AI; they're using it to create things that matter to them.

Next cohort starts January 3, 2026 - book your spot now!

Don't let another month pass with your student consuming AI instead of creating with it. The foundational skills employers need - critical thinking, adaptability, problem-solving, and technological fluency - develop through hands-on experience over time, not just before graduation.

Our program has a 5-star rating with reviews from both students and parents. If you have questions before signing up, email us at [email protected].

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