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Students Are Being Treated Like Guinea Pigs: Inside an AI-Powered Private School

404media.co

February 17, 2026

1 min read

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Summary

Alpha School, an AI-powered private institution costing up to $65,000 annually, generates faulty lesson plans that can be detrimental to students. The school scrapes data from various online courses without permission to train its AI, according to former employees and internal documents.

Key Takeaways

Alpha School, an AI-powered private school, charges up to $65,000 a year and relies heavily on AI for teaching.
Internal documentation reveals that the AI-generated lesson plans can sometimes do "more harm than good."
The school has been accused of scraping data from various online courses without permission to train its AI.
Former employees have raised concerns about the ethical implications of the school's AI practices.

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Community Sentiment

Mixed

Positives

Alpha School's innovative approach to education, leveraging AI, is a promising attempt to improve student outcomes and personalize learning experiences.
The use of AI in tracking educational effectiveness offers a more data-driven approach compared to traditional teaching methods, which often lack evidence of success.

Concerns

The claim that all educational content is obsolete due to generative AI raises skepticism about the depth of understanding and evidence behind such statements.
Despite some students performing at the 85th percentile, the marketing claims of Alpha School may mislead parents regarding the actual academic achievements of the majority.