The Philosophy of Education in the Age of AI

In this engaging interview, LightLeapAI’s Storyteller in Residence, Dr. Rod Berger, sits down with Priten Soundar-Shah — educator, entrepreneur, and author — to discuss his new book Ethical Ed Tech: How Educators Can Lead on AI and Digital Safety in K-12 (releasing May 19th). What begins as a conversation about the book’s opening line — “I worry” — unfolds into a wide-ranging dialogue on philosophy, institutional agency, the three purposes of education, and what it truly means to slow down in a world that won’t stop accelerating.

Key Topics Covered

• “I Worry” — the choice to open with vulnerability: Why Priten chose to write as a citizen rather than an expert, and how transparency shapes the reader’s experience.
• Let’s Talk — ending the book with an invitation: How the conclusion reflects the book’s core premise: not to prescribe answers, but to spark honest conversation.
• Priten’s background: From founding an education nonprofit in high school, to philosophy at Harvard, to self-teaching code, to bridging humanities and technology.
• Running fast to get others to slow down: The irony of being an urgency-driven person calling for intentional pause — and why the urgency is real.
• Intentional vs. reactive speeding up: The shift from wanting educators to move faster with agency to recognizing that institutions are now moving fast without it.
• The three buckets of education’s purpose: Economic preparedness, civic participation, and personal fulfillment — and why all three must be addressed together.
• Ethical decision-making requires defining education first: You can’t determine what is ethical without first deciding who you’re being ethical toward and what you want for your students.
• Mission statements vs. actual decisions: Why so many institutions operate under implicit assumptions that contradict their stated values.
• The gamification of learning: How high-stakes measurement has displaced genuine curiosity, from reading comprehension to broader academic culture.
• Backwards design in practice: The difference between defining what you want for students long-term versus optimizing for end-of-semester metrics.
• Philosophy and political philosophy on reform: The North Star approach vs. incremental improvement — and why both have a role.
• The liberal arts and democracy: Reclaiming the original meaning of “liberal” in liberal arts, and why civic education is foundational to solving today’s problems.

Guest

Priten Soundar-Shah is an educator, entrepreneur, writer, and civic advocate. He founded his first education nonprofit in high school and has since worked across nonprofit organizations, universities, and ed-tech ventures. He teaches part-time, runs a middle school civics camp, and writes on the intersection of philosophy, technology, and learning.

• Website: priten.org
• Book: Ethical Ed Tech: How Educators Can Lead on AI and Digital Safety in K-12 — available May 19th wherever books are sold
• Book website: ethicaledtech.org
• Newsletter & Podcast: Available at priten.org

Host

Dr. Rod Berger — Host of Quantum Leap in Higher Education, brought to you by N2N and Lightleap AI.

Memorable Quotes

“I worry.” — The opening of Priten’s book, chosen deliberately to speak human-to-human with educators.

“I’m running to get somebody else to stop. That’s what it feels like — I’m chasing somebody and trying to get them to slow down, and that requires partially catching up to them.” — Priten on the urgency behind his work.

“A breath is oftentimes very powerful. Am I asking the right question? Something as simple as that can really change what you do by tomorrow.” — Priten on intentionality in the AI moment.

“Until we fully define why we teach, what we want for our students — you can’t decide what is ethical without deciding who you’re acting ethically toward.” — Priten on the foundational flaw in ed-tech adoption.

“When I tell someone to slow down, it’s not from a place of ‘I don’t know what it feels like to want to speed up.’ It’s ‘I wish we could speed up, but I don’t think we can afford to right now.'”