AI Isn’t the Enemy for Some Schools Anymore—Flaky Startups Are

Could AI actually make life easier for teachers? Some schools are seeking to answer that question by using the technology to help with the most tedious aspects of their jobs. But doubts about AI run deep in education.

In early January, Marty Sharpe thought he’d get a few dozen teachers to show up to his professional development course on using generative artificial intelligence in the classroom. After all, it was an optional workday after the two-week winter break at the Catawba County Schools in North Carolina.

Instead, Sharpe—the Catawba school district’s chief technology officer—was stunned that nearly a hundred educators signed up for the course, and that it had a waitlist. “We were maxed out,” said Sharpe, who afterward was flooded with emails from teachers who had missed the session asking him to schedule another. “It blew my mind.”