A new type of artificial intelligence called agentic AI is changing how students learn and how schools teach. Unlike regular AI that just answers questions, agentic AI can do tasks on its own. It can log into websites, watch videos, write papers, and turn in homework without a person telling it what to do each time.

This week, a 22-year-old named Advait Paliwal created a tool called Einstein that shows how powerful agentic AI can be. Einstein connects to Canvas, a popular system schools use to teach online classes. Einstein can do everything a student does in a course—it even works while students sleep.

Many teachers and school leaders are worried about what this means. They say students could use agentic AI to cheat instead of doing their own learning. Some teachers call courses that use quizzes and papers "transactional" classes that are most at risk of being done by AI instead of students.

But some experts see this as a chance to make school better. They think schools should stop using huge lectures with hundreds of students and instead focus on real learning where students think critically and solve real problems. One professor said, "The most destructive educational technology we have is the large lecture hall".

Schools are starting to respond. William & Mary held a workshop where teachers and students worked together to redesign assignments so AI couldn't just do the work for students. Teachers are learning to focus on real skills like critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork instead of just testing who remembers facts.

Experts agree that schools need to act quickly. Instead of trying to catch students using AI, schools should redesign how they test learning. They should ask students to show their skills through projects, discussions, and real-world work instead of just essays. As one teacher said, "If AI can write an essay in seconds, essays alone cannot be your main proof that students learned something".