Larry Ward on The Real Story: San Fran AI School - Will Humans Serve AI or AI Serve Humanity?

Market Rithm President and AI expert Larry Ward joins Riley Lewis on The Real Story to discuss the controversial Alpha School in San Francisco, where AI has replaced traditional teachers. At $75,000 per year, students spend two hours daily learning core subjects like math and science through AI-powered applications, with adults present only for emotional support and coaching.

Ward calls this shift "The Great Disruption," predicting it could have greater scope than the Great Depression in terms of economic impact. While the concept sounds alarming, Ward argues it might actually be a viable solution to America's failing education system, where politically motivated teachers are actively harming students. He shares a troubling example from Fairfax, Virginia, where teachers lowered grades for students who joined a GOP club.

However, Ward emphasizes the critical need for guardrails. "You've got to have real solid curriculum, someone monitoring the content and performance and making sure it's not full of woke nonsense," he explains. Ward advocates for keeping "humans in the loop," using AI as an individual tutor alongside traditional teachers rather than replacing them entirely.

Ward discusses his personal preference for Claude (Anthropic) over other AI platforms due to superior privacy policies that promise not to steal or remember user data, making it ideal for business and proprietary information. He also shares strong criticism of OpenAI's Sam Altman, calling him "one of the creepiest human beings on the planet."
The conversation addresses America's declining education scores, with Ward pointing to Arkansas as a success story. The state went from dead last in reading to number three nationally in just two to three years by returning to phonics-based instruction. Ward's solution: combine proven traditional methods like reading, writing, and arithmetic with AI tools, while teaching students critical thinking skills to use AI properly without being manipulated by it.
The fundamental question remains: Will AI serve humanity in education, or will we serve AI? Ward believes the answer depends entirely on proper implementation, parental involvement in curriculum approval, and maintaining human teachers who can guide students in both subjects and AI literacy.

#AI #Education #ArtificialIntelligence #SchoolReform #LarryWard #AlphaSchool #EdTech #FutureOfEducation #CriticalThinking