Netflix's Reed Hastings on the Impact of AI on Schools

Diane and I dove into the impact of AI on schools with our guest Reed Hastings, the founder of Netflix and a dedicated advocate for education reform. Our conversation explored Reed’s pragmatic optimism about AI’s potential to personalize learning, reshape the roles of teachers, and revolutionize assessment practices. Reed shared his belief that while AI will transform many aspects of education, it’s crucial for schools to nurture citizenship, social-emotional skills, and a foundation of knowledge independent of technology. The episode also touched on future models for schools, equity in an AI-driven future, and practical examples of how AI is currently enhancing reading and math instruction.

Diane Tavenner

Hey, this is Diane, and I appreciate you joining Michael and I for season seven of Class Disrupted, as we’re doing a deep dive into education in the age of AI. I think you might really enjoy this episode where we got a chance to talk with Reed Hastings, founder and longtime CEO of Netflix and a longtime education supporter. We talked to him about what he’s seeing, hearing, and thinking about AI and education. And I think coming out of the conversation, I would call Reed a pragmatic AI optimist. I think that’s the best description I have for him. So much of our conversation is about what is possible today, as well as where we’re heading in the future and what that might mean for the work we’re all doing and how we’re trying to think about it. I find Reed’s thinking to be both clarifying and provocative at the same time, which makes for a really fun conversation. I really hope you will enjoy it.

And please keep sending questions, thoughts, inspirations for where we go as this season unfolds. Thanks so much.

Diane Tavenner

Hey, Michael.

Michael Horn

Hey, Diane. It is good to see you as always, I’m looking forward to today’s conversation in particular.

Diane Tavenner

I think this one’s going to be really fun. I am prepping for this. I asked Chat to do a little bit of a intro for Reed Hastings and, I know and that’s what I said to myself. I said, you know, I can definitely write this, but it’s out of habit now.

And nonetheless, there were some interesting things in there. So, for those of you who don’t know, our guest today is Reed Hastings, and according to Chat, you are a tech entrepreneur, investor, and educator with a long track record of innovation and social impact. That all tracked for me. It went on to basically describe two parallel careers, which also tracks for me on the business side, most notably co-founder, longtime CEO, and most recently, executive chair at Netflix. And on the other side, where I have spent my time with you is deeply involved in education, ranging from chairing the California State Board of Ed, along with a number of education nonprofits, supporting tons of educational entrepreneurs and charter schools and educational efforts. Here was the fun part for me. I think a lot of people don’t know that you started out in the Peace Corps and that you actually taught for two years in Africa. And the pieces that I forgot were you taught math and that your undergrad degrees in math and you have a master’s in computer science.

And I forgot that because I know you’re technical, but that’s not where we spend our time, we mostly spend our time on leadership and people development and growth. And so that was kind of a fun reminder. All of that to say as we start this season, really exploring the intersection of AI and education, we knew we had to talk to you, so welcome Reed. We’re grateful to have you here.

Reed Hastings

How fun. Michael and Diane. Well, Chat got it mostly right, but actually I taught maths, so.

Michael Horn

That’s right, because in Africa they would say maths.

Reed Hastings

Yeah, teaching O level. It’s pronounced in the plural. I never did figure out why. And then relevant to this conversation, in the mid-80s, I got a master’s degree from Stanford in AI. And now the AI of the time turned out to not work at all. So it’s a mixed utility, but it certainly has been a long term passion.

Michael Horn

Well, it’s part of that arc, I guess, right, of AI dating back decades and decades or at least the thinking and study and hypothesizing about. And now this moment, moments arriving, really. And so I’d actually love to start there with you. Really big sort of wide angle view on this because you, you know a lot, you do a lot, you talk to a lot of people. What excites you at the moment about this new age of AI in education?

AI’s Impact: Exciting and Uncertain

Reed Hastings

Well, there’s a lot, I think both to be excited and concerned about, you know, to the degree that the bulldozer, you know, mechanized labor and digging, we’re seeing the potential of AI of doing that for thinking, it doesn’t do it for feeling. So for, you know, our, a lot of what we think of as core humanity, as our, our feelings, but in terms of thinking, you know, it’s on track to be better than us at basically all aspects of thinking. And then there’s a debate about whether that’s two years or 20 years, but you know, that’s sort of in the noise compared to it happening. So we’re living in pretty dramatic times, which is exciting. But, you know, it’s not clear that it will turn out for the benefit of humans. We’ll see.

Michael Horn

Yeah, and maybe that’s. That was sort of the second thing on my mind of the worries you pieces of it. And so I maybe just like the quick narrative in your head of what are the signposts you’d be looking for if this is going in the positive direction or the negative direction. Like what are the things that you’re paying attention to to sort of help us understand where this is headed?