AI Companies Mimic Big Tech's Playbook in Schools

"It's the hot new thing in tech, and it's where all the jobs are. Students who don't learn to use it fall behind. And to help them catch up in time, its creators are graciously providing the resources and curriculum for learning it, often pro bono." This is the compelling narrative AI companies are currently pitching to schools, aiming to embed their technologies deeply into educational frameworks. However, this strategy is far from novel. According to Natasha Singer, an education technology reporter for the New York Times, this playbook has been a cornerstone of the tech industry's influence in classrooms for the past 15 years. In her new book, *Coding Kids*, Singer meticulously details how tech companies took a central and often self-serving role in promoting computers and coding skills in education. They promised a future replete with high-paying computer science jobs, effectively shaping curricula and student aspirations to align with their own interests and product ecosystems. The current push by AI companies, offering free resources and curricula, appears to be a direct echo of these past tactics, raising questions about the true beneficiaries of such educational partnerships.