What should we protect in education, as AI transforms how we learn, think, and work?

In this episode of Education Futures, Svenia Busson speaks with Nick Krichevsky, a high school teacher and Head of Digitalization at the German International School Johannesburg in South Africa.

With over 15 years of teaching experience across Germany and South Africa, Nick brings a grounded, classroom-based perspective to one of the most pressing questions of our time:

What should education hold onto, and what should it let go of, in the age of AI?

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why AI should serve a clear educational purpose, not drive it

• The limits of a one-size-fits-all education system across different contexts

• What Nick calls the “promise — and misspoken promise — of education”

• Why many students still lack practical skills and opportunities, despite access to schooling

• The importance of effort, friction, and cognitive rigor in real learning

• How AI can support education by freeing up time and resources, not replacing thinking

• Why students must develop ownership of their learning process

• The growing concern among students about AI, self-efficacy, and their future

Nick also shares a powerful vision for the school of the future:

Not one centered on technology, but one built around human relationships, social learning, mentorship, and responsibility.