Matt Paige and EdTech veteran Todd Brekhus discuss how generative AI, like past technologies (calculators, the internet, Google), is being used by students to shortcut homework and why the key issue is redesigning education to deepen learning rather than trying to stop AI use.

Brekhus contrasts the internet’s access-to-information shift with generative AI’s content-creation shift, arguing educators were caught flat-footed and need awareness, tools, and curriculum changes.

He emphasizes empowering teachers first through personalization driven by frequent, granular measurement and data that informs instruction, moving beyond latent end-of-year testing toward mastery-based feedback loops and more embedded, contextual assessment.

They explore maker-style, collaborative learning enabled by AI and “vibe coding.” Breca describes Renaissance’s internal AI upskilling and Renaissance Intelligence, which unifies data from 20 acquisitions into an AWS/Snowflake backbone to deliver a unified UX, recommendations, and trusted, standards-aligned, classroom-personalized instruction.

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Key Moments:

01:23 Homework Shortcut Reality
04:21 Kids Adopt First
05:27 Internet Era Lessons
12:00 myON Unlimited Reading
16:05 Personalization Starts Teachers
21:53 Trusted Data And Measurement
26:07 Mastery Model With AI Assist
27:44 AI Should Challenge Learners
28:42 Rethinking Assessment Loops
31:21 Data Driven Skill Insights
33:50 Connecting Learning to Purpose
36:02 Vibe Coding for Teachers
37:29 Future School Makerspaces
40:33 Balancing Creation and Effort
41:39 Renaissance AI Transformation
44:40 Agentic Dev and Legacy Systems
48:21 Renaissance Intelligence Platform

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Key Links:

Renaissance Learning
Connect with Todd on LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

Free report from HatchWorks AI — State of AI 2026

What’s real in AI this year, what’s hype, and what leaders should prioritize — including production lessons, designing for agents, and governance. https://hatchworks.com/state-of-ai-2026/

The Messy Middle of AI in Education: Panic, Promise, and What Comes Next

Talking AI

The Messy Middle of AI in Education: Panic, Promise, and What Comes Next