When we founded aiEDU in 2019, most people still saw AI as a matter of science fiction. It was an “emerging technology” that shared shelf space with fusion energy and the metaverse. Funders and education leaders had more pressing challenges than preparing for a technology whose arrival felt perpetually ten years away.

We made a bet anyway.

We bet that AI would arrive faster than people expected — and that when it did, the education system wouldn’t be ready. We bet that readiness wouldn’t come from better tools or widgets, but from investing in people: the 5 million teachers and administrators who have the power to change how we prepare students for whatever comes next. And we bet that if we started building the infrastructure for that investment then, in 2019, we’d be positioned to act when the moment arrived.

Three years out from the release of ChatGPT, that future has arrived.

This year, we tested our thesis at scale by training thousands of educators, watching frameworks get adopted by state agencies, and proving that districts will pay for professional learning that actually shifts practice. None of this would have been possible without our dedicated team of educators and operators who bring this mission to life every day.

What we learned confirmed what we’ve believed all along: AI readiness is a challenge centered on empowering people, not harnessing technology. And this year, we learned that lesson from the people themselves.

What educators taught us in 2025

When I look back at the past 12 months, I don’t see aiEDU’s growth story. I see the educators who made that growth possible, and who reminded us constantly that we’re only useful if we’re actually helping them do their jobs better.

Some numbers for context:

• We reached 19,041 educators through professional learning, conferences, and curriculum; and through them, an estimated 1.14 million students.

• Our curriculum downloads increased 50% from last year.

• Our AI Trailblazer Fellowship scaled from a single cohort in 2024 to nine cohorts in 2025, growing our alumni network to 178 teacher leaders across 25+ states.

• We generated $1.15 million in earned revenue. This is the hard evidence that school districts see real value in this work, not just philanthropic goodwill.

But the number I keep coming back to is this:

• A 4.5 out of 5 average satisfaction score across more than 1,000 survey respondents in our professional learning programs.

Our Programs Team spent the year in classrooms, on Zoom calls, and at regional summits listening to what educators actually need. They’re the ones who translated our frameworks into something teachers can use on Monday morning.

Looking ahead

We enter 2026 with momentum and a profound sense of urgency.

The next 24 months represent a critical window. States are beginning to codify AI standards, districts are allocating budgets. The decisions being made right now will determine whether AI readiness becomes embedded in American public education or remains a patchwork of one-off initiatives that are ignored as soon as the next crisis captures our attention.

The question is no longer whether AI will transform education, but how. Whether that transformation will be shaped by thoughtful educators and policymakers, or left to market forces and technological determinism.

I’m grateful to work alongside a team that believes teachers and students deserve a loud and clear voice in that transformation. And I’m grateful to everyone reading this who’s part of making it happen.

More to come.

With appreciation,

~ Alex