CERRITOS, Calif. — When Matt Johnson was 30 years old, he wondered to himself if he could have learned more when he was in high school — and how it would've affected his life.

Now, as an educator, he’s trying to be the teacher he didn’t have when he was younger. 

“Anything along those lines,” Johnson said. “I’m like, I want to be the teacher that I didn’t have when I was younger.”

What You Need To Know

  • Only 6% of teachers across the country said they believe the benefits of AI outweigh the risks, according to the Pew Research Center. 

  • Roughly 69% of students said they will use AI for their homework during the school year, according to Pew. 

  • Around 18% of teachers say they will use AI-powered tools in the classroom, according to Rand. 

Johnson completed his education in physics and learned about AI in grad school. The technology fascinated him and wanted to harness its power to help the future generation. When he pitched an AI-based class to Whitney High School in Cerritos, he was ahead of the game, and the school accepted a short time later.

“In 2018-19, that was the first time that I taught this artificial intelligence course,” Johnson said. “And we’ve been going since, the program has been growing.”

Research shows that teachers lag behind students when it comes to embracing the technology. Only 6% of teachers across the country said they believe the benefits of AI outweigh the risks, while 69% of students said they will use the technology for their homework during the school year, according to research by the Pew Research Center.

“I mean this for all students, if they’re ready to learn it, and the only reason they’re not being taught it is because there’s nobody present at the school to teach it, we’ve got a problem,” Johnson said. “So I’m doing what I can here.”

Angad Batra is a senior at Whitney High School and took Johnson’s AI-based course last year. He was immediately drawn to the technology and how it helped him to be a better student.

“I’ve noticed that it’s really good for learning other things, and understanding them in simplified terms,” Batra said. “Especially if you weren’t able to understand them in class, because time is very limited. It’s like having a study buddy you can use at home.”

Batra would like to pursue a career in cybersecurity after college. Being well learned in AI will help him attain his goals, and he’s thankful he had a teacher like Johnson, who shared his wisdom.

“Taking the lead on education like Mr. Johnson has is something I very much appreciate,” Batra said.

For Johnson, seeing how the world continues to change at a rapid pace has made him want to be the best educator he can be — and part of that is encouraging his students to keep their eyes not only on the present, but the future as well.

“In this day and age, you have to be a life-long learner,” Johnson said. “No matter how good of a class you feel like mine is, or what you get in college, eventually that will be out of date, so what do I need to learn next?”