With the school year ending, all over the country educators and parents are taking stock of the drastic shift caused by artificial intelligence in the classroom. Today, Natasha Singer, a technology reporter, discusses the year that reshaped American classrooms and how one dedicated teacher helped his students chart their own path into an uncertain future. Guest: Natasha Singer [https://www.nytimes.com/by/natasha-singer], a technology reporter for The New York Times. Background reading:  * Teachers say they want to equip high school students to drive A.I. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/technology/ai-literacy-newark-school-chatbots.html], rather than be mere passengers steered by chatbots. * A.I. companies are urging teachers to prepare students for an “A.I.-driven future.” [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/business/ai-literacy-faq.html] * The American Federation of Teachers recommended [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/27/technology/ai-screens-schools-weingarten.html] “no screens” at all for those in second grade or younger, and no A.I. chatbots for students in elementary school. Photo: Juan Arredondo for The New York Times For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily [http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily]. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher [https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher]. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.