Alpha School Miami using AI to help guide academics so students can focus on life skills

A new private school in Miami is using artificial intelligence (AI) to personalize lessons for students while shifting much of the school day toward hands-on learning.

At Alpha Miami, students start the day on laptops working through individualized academic programs. School leaders say the technology identifies gaps in what students know and adjusts lessons to their pace.

Instead of traditional teachers, the school uses guides who act more like coaches. Some have a traditional education background, but most have diverse professional experience. They step in when students need help and lead workshops focused on life skills.

"Every adult who is working in this capacity works with the kids, so I'm not off in an office doing paperwork," said Joshua Lesnie, the school's head guide. "I'm in the classrooms."

Lesnie said the artificial intelligence works behind the scenes rather than through chatbots.

"The kids are not opening ChatGPT. They're not working in large language models," Lesnie said.

 "The AI sits behind the system. Detecting when you're getting stuck. Feeding you the right support content," he added. 

School leaders say using AI to streamline academics allows more time for hands-on workshops, from sports strategy to gardening.

Alpha started in Austin, Texas and is expanding to major cities across the country.

Tuition at the Miami campus runs about $40,000 to $50,000 a year, though the school says financial aid and scholarships are available. 

Leaders also say the model works best for students who are self-motivated and comfortable working independently.