Billionaire investor Bill Ackman is backing Alpha School. This rapidly growing private institution utilizes artificial intelligence to condense academic content into two hours a day, while steering clear of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Ackman Calls Alpha "Breakthrough Innovation" In K-12 Education
Ackman praised Alpha in a post on X on Wednesday, calling it "the first truly breakthrough innovation in K-12 education" since the KIPP Academy.
"Two hours of a dedicated AI personal tutor customized for your child's academic program. Four hours of leadership and life skills. No homework. Daily real-time data on how your child is doing," Ackman wrote.
"Alpha kids love school and have incredible outcomes."
Alpha School Expands With New York City Campus
Alpha, founded more than a decade ago by MacKenzie Price, calls its teachers "guides" and emphasizes non-academic learning in the afternoons, from bike rides to personal projects.
The school has campuses in Texas, Florida and California, and is opening a kindergarten through eighth-grade location in New York City this fall. Tuition runs between $40,000 and $65,000 annually.
Price said Alpha deliberately avoids political and cultural debates. "We do not let anything—political, social issues—come in the way," she told The Wall Street Journal.
Trump, Top CEOs And Google Push AI Education
In April, President Donald Trump signed executive orders directing federal agencies to expand AI certification programs and strengthen AI learning in schools.
In May, over 250 Fortune 500 CEOs, including Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Satya Nadella, Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) Michael Dell, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) Lisa Su, Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) CEO Alex Karp and Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:UBER) Dara Khosrowshahi, urged policymakers to prioritize AI and computer science education for K-12 students through the Unlock8 campaign, warning that global competitors had already made such training mandatory.
Earlier this month, Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) subsidiary Google committed $1 billion to support U.S. colleges and nonprofits with AI resources, partnering with over 100 universities and offering students advanced access to its Gemini chatbot and other AI tools.
Tech Leaders Bill Gates, Jensen Huang Warn
Tech leaders voiced concerns about the rapid pace of artificial intelligence.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates warned that AI was advancing faster than expected, raising uncertainty about when it might replace human workers.
Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang also cautioned that AI would transform the job market by eliminating repetitive tasks and stressed that those who failed to embrace AI risked being left behind.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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