The article discusses how some wealthy American families are opting for AI-based education for their children, spending tens of thousands of dollars on unproven technologies. Schools like Forge Prep and Alpha School are introducing AI tutors and project-based learning, with notable interest from Silicon Valley investors. Critics raise concerns about the reliability of AI in education and the exclusion of controversial social issues from curricula. Without performance metrics, the effectiveness of these AI-focused educational models remains questionable.

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Some of the nation’s rich are letting AI teach their kids

They’re paying tens of thousands of dollars for their children to be beta testers for unproven tech.

byTerrence O'Brien

Jul 5, 2026, 6:30 PM EDT

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Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images

Terrence O'Brienis the Verge’s weekend editor. He’s covered the tech industry for over 18 years and knows a thing or two about synths.

Most Americans don’t trust AI. It’s proven that it doesn’t know what safe toppings for pizza are. People don’t even want to listen to AI music. But none of that matters for some of America’s wealthy, who are turning to AI to teach their kids instead of traditional schools.

Companies like Forge Prep and Alpha School are charging families tens of thousands of dollars to turn their kids into beta testers for AI tutors and “interactive project-based workshops.” Unsurprisingly, Silicon Valley have been major adopters of this new model. Shaun Johnson, a San Francisco-based venture capitalist, told the Wall Street Journal that he plans to send his son to a $75,000 year Alpha Kindergarten. He said, “We recognize that education is likely broken the way it is and there’s going to be entrepreneurs that try to fix it… You want someone to be able to think on their feet and navigate the world, not necessarily a recitation of facts in a particular discipline.”

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Ignoring Johnson’s fundamental lack of understanding about modern pedagogy, it’s unclear how notoriously sycophantic AI will train children to “think on their feet and navigate the world.” It’s also concerning that Alpha School co-founder MacKenzie Price has said she plans to keep “ hot-button social issues” out of the classroom. Which, in the current political climate, could cover women’s rights, America’s history of slavery, and our immigrant past. That might not seem like a major issue when you’re talking about kindergarten, but in some locations, Alpha School goes through high school.

Companies like Forge also don’t share performance metrics, so there’s no evidence that these AI-guided private schools are improving educational outcomes.

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Terrence O'Brien
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