About the AI Lab Schools Program

In the Age of AI, learners need an updated skill set and knowledge to thrive. As technology automates the knowledge layer of work and life, the true advantage for young people shifts to discernment, creativity, and the ability to navigate complex systems. To deliver on this promise, schools must move beyond optimizing for efficiency and compliance with standards. We must redesign the very foundations of learning for the future our students will live in.

The AI Lab Schools program is a tuition-free, 24-month design-and-build partnership for visionary educators ready to do this work. This is not a professional development series—it is an active R&D incubator. We are convening a cohort of up to 20 leadership teams to answer a single question: How do we design a school where human flourishing is the primary metric, and AI is the infrastructure that makes it possible?

This opportunity is open to leaders building any type of learning environment—district schools, charter schools, private and independent schools, microschools, hybrid models, or entirely new forms that haven't yet been invented. What matters is not the governance structure, but the commitment to fundamental transformation.

We support two tracks: New Starts (founders opening new schools by Fall 2027) and Pivots (leaders executing radical transformations of existing schools). Both tracks come together for shared learning on core concepts and frameworks, then work separately on planning and implementation specific to their contexts.

What Playlab Provides:

Beyond the cohort experience, Playlab offers unique value that sets this network apart: a purpose-built AI platform with enterprise-grade security, direct access to engineers and product designers for custom tool development, a growing library of AI applications built by educators, site visits to schools already piloting AI-integrated practices, and a community of leaders learning from and with each other in real time.

Over a six-phase journey—from Vision to Sustainability—you will engage in rapid prototyping, monthly strategy calls, and quarterly in-person intensives. You will not just talk about innovation; you will build it. You'll interrogate fundamental beliefs about how educators use space and time, rethink the pillars of schooling—the calendar, schedule, classroom, and campus—and leverage Playlab's platform to create custom AI tools that make school more human, not less.

The Commitment:

The program is tuition-free. Playlab covers travel, lodging, and meals for all quarterly in-person intensives, as well as full access to the Playlab platform for two years. In exchange, we ask that you earmark $10,000 for your own implementation costs following the program, apply as a core team of 2-4 leaders with decision-making authority, and commit to sharing your blueprints openly as a public good.

What We're Looking For:

We are looking for builders, not dreamers. Beyond just a compelling vision, you must have the foundational pieces in place to actually launch or transform a school by Fall 2027. For new school founders, this includes secured or committed funding to cover your launch phase, a clear legal pathway to operate (whether that's charter authorization, state registration, or another route), and a concrete plan for physical space. For leaders transforming existing schools, this means having the budgetary authority to reallocate resources and the organizational backing to execute structural change.

All applicants must demonstrate an unwavering belief in learner agency, apply as a core team of 2-4 people who hold decision-making power over budget, hiring, schedule, and curriculum, and have (or have a plan to secure) the technology infrastructure to support an AI-integrated model. As part of this application, you will share an artifact—a tool, workflow, or prototype you have already built and tested—that demonstrates you have begun the shift toward an AI-integrated environment. We are not looking for ideas; we are looking for evidence of action.

The schools that every student deserves don't exist yet. Let's build them together.