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Hopkins School Hosts Conversation on AI and the Future of Education
A massive snow storm may have stopped classes at Hopkins for two days, but it didn’t stop the Hopkins community from packing the theater in the Academic & Performing Arts Center on the evening of Tuesday, January 27.
Hopkins welcomed a sold-out audience for a wide-ranging conversation on AI and the Future of Education, featuring two Hopkins alumni now leading institutions at the forefront of higher education and technological innovation: Mark Gorenberg ‘72, Chair of the MIT Corporation, and Jon Levin ‘90, President of Stanford University.
Moderated by Matt Glendinning, Head of Hopkins School, the discussion explored how artificial intelligence is reshaping teaching and learning, from K–12 classrooms to research universities, while raising essential questions about judgment, integrity, and the enduring human elements of education.
A Transformational Moment for Schools
Glendinning opened the evening by framing AI as a defining inflection point for education, likening the emergence of tools such as ChatGPT to a “watershed moment” that has forced schools to rethink long-held assumptions about teaching, learning, and assessment.
“In an age where AI can research and analyze and write and code—sometimes as well as, or better than, a human being—what is even worth teaching and learning anymore?” he asked.
Glendinning emphasized that Hopkins has approached this moment “strategically and intentionally,” pointing to clear academic integrity guidelines, faculty working groups, national conferences hosted on campus, and the School’s recent Responsible AI in Learning (RAIL) credential as evidence of its proactive engagement.
Alumni Reflections and a Long View
Both speakers began by reflecting on their own time at Hopkins and how formative the experience was in shaping their intellectual curiosity.
Gorenberg, who had not returned to campus since his graduation more than five decades ago, described Hopkins as “a true meritocracy” and praised the kindness and intellectual generosity of its students—qualities he still sees reflected in Hopkins graduates today.
Levin, a New Haven native, recalled meeting his wife in a Hopkins English class and credited the School with nurturing his love of reading and deep learning.
“There’s something about immersing yourself in a book that I hope this next generation doesn’t lose,” Levin said, later adding, “A lot of that came from Hopkins.”
AI as Both Tool and Test
Throughout the evening, both leaders stressed that they believe AI is neither a simple shortcut nor an existential threat, but rather a powerful tool that must be thoughtfully integrated into education.
Levin described AI as enabling a new relationship to knowledge—“like going into a library and being able to talk to the books”—while warning that schools must guard against passive learning and over-reliance on automation.
“AI can be a shortcut,” he said, “but it can also be an incredible enabler—if curiosity is driving the interaction.”
Gorenberg echoed that theme, arguing that AI’s arrival creates an opportunity to move education beyond rote learning toward deeper skills such as judgment, problem-framing, and ethical reasoning.
“Assume people will use AI,” Gorenberg said. “The real question becomes: how do they frame problems, make trade-offs, and explain their thinking?”
Rethinking Teaching and Assessment
Both speakers shared examples of how universities like Stanford and MIT are already reimagining curriculum and assessment in response to AI—shifting toward oral exams, in-class problem solving, project-based learning, and greater emphasis on process rather than just final answers.
Levin noted that at Stanford, some assignments now allow AI use but require students to defend their work in person, ensuring genuine understanding.
“You want students to be superpowered by technology,” he said, “but also able to think on their own without assistance.”
Gorenberg highlighted Hopkins’ distinctive strength in this moment: its small class sizes and close student-teacher relationships.
“You’re one of the very few places that can really make education immersive in this way,” he told the audience.
Preparing Students for an Uncertain Future
The conversation also addressed how AI may reshape careers and the workforce. Levin cautioned against simple predictions, describing AI as a “jagged technology” that excels at some tasks while remaining poor at others—particularly judgment and values-based decision-making.
“Most jobs aren’t all-or-nothing,” he said. “The people who can use the technology effectively—and do the human parts of the job at a high level—will be far more productive.”
Looking further ahead, Gorenberg described AI as the most significant technological shift of his lifetime, with implications ranging from scientific discovery to medicine, materials science, and robotics.
“Universities are uniquely positioned to lead the next revolutionary wave,” he said, “not just the incremental improvements.”
A Hopkins-Centered Conversation
After the discussion, Levin and Gorgenberg fielded questions from members of the Hopkins community, including Linda Romanchok, Hopkins School Counselor; Jacob Richards ‘27, a current Junior at Hopkins; and Mamta Aggarwal, a Hopkins parent.
Throughout the evening, the speakers returned repeatedly to the role of schools like Hopkins in shaping not only how students use AI, but how they think about its impact on society.
As Glendinning concluded, the goal is not to predict the future perfectly, but to prepare students to navigate it with curiosity, integrity, and wisdom.
The event was part of Hopkins School’s ongoing Speaker Series, which brings alumni and global leaders to campus to engage students and the wider community in timely conversations about technology, culture, and the future of learning.
Watch the full conversation below.
Watch the full conversation below.
Hopkins is a private middle school and high school for grades 7-12. Located on a campus overlooking New Haven, CT, the School takes pride in its intellectually curious students as well as its dedicated faculty and staff.
Hopkins School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.