What’s the most powerful tool in any classroom? In the age of AI, education advocate Matt Wu still believes it’s the people. In this hopeful talk, he discusses the nonprofit he leads, Schoolhouse, which pairs students with peer tutors from across the globe, building the crucial human connection that every person needs to thrive. Peer tutoring isn’t just teaching students how to learn concepts, says Wu. It’s teaching them how to better understand one another. (Recorded at TED2026 on April 17, 2026)
Join us in person at a TED conference:
Become a TED Member to support our mission:
Subscribe to a TED newsletter:
Follow TED!
Instagram:
LinkedIn:
TikTok:
Facebook:
X:
The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less) — plus originals, podcasts and exclusive content. Look for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design as well as science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit for our entire library, transcripts, translations and personalized recommendations.
Watch more:
TED videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with the TED Talks Usage Policy: . For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), submit a request at
#TED #TEDTalks #Education
@sobuj_dash
July 26, 2026 at 11:02 am
First Comment ❤
I’m from Bangladesh 🎉
@Wildler-j1c
July 26, 2026 at 11:14 am
YOU never take me to Bangladesh…
@pppp67567
July 26, 2026 at 11:24 am
@Wildler-j1c Lol, what are you a 6 yr old? Sorry baba, we don’t care about your favourite cartoon or whether you eat your broccoli either.
@tenerex7837
July 26, 2026 at 11:03 am
Primero, ahora tines que saludarme “TED” y así comprobar de que no eres bot
@user_ytndslk
July 26, 2026 at 11:29 am
Only 10-20% of teachers are great.
60-80% are average and;
10-20% are mediocre
@franimal86
July 26, 2026 at 12:48 pm
0% of AI is a teacher
@QuietLife1234
July 26, 2026 at 11:45 am
Does it matter how humans learn when AI takes the jobs?
@franimal86
July 26, 2026 at 12:48 pm
Takes the jobs? Lol you mean, get a job working for AI?
@stellalpina
July 26, 2026 at 12:01 pm
There’s probably a bias though: AI has been around for 3 years, that might be too short of a time to be considered as an answer when one asks students what changed their LIFE the most. Life changements usually don’t happen overnight. 🤔 Just wondering…
@stolengirlfriendclub8724
July 26, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Why would we trust you then?
@franimal86
July 26, 2026 at 12:49 pm
Don’t, if you want
@EmonIslamIfad
July 26, 2026 at 12:37 pm
Great perspective on the human element in education vs AI.
@strangereyes9594
July 26, 2026 at 12:39 pm
Sure, for dumb kids, human teachers might still stick around, mainly for supervision since impulse control and self-planning is something dumb children cannot get from an AI, but the smart ones, those who dont need human teachers to thrive on their own, the valuable ones, for them getting rid of the need to listen to humans dumber than them to learn something, AI will (and already is) a true blessing that will enable them to far outpace their peers without any teacher at all.
@beatricetheves-engelbach8074
July 26, 2026 at 12:53 pm
@strangereyes9594 haven’t you ever learned something interesting from your parents or friends or even people you meet with for a few minutes ?
@strangereyes9594
July 26, 2026 at 1:34 pm
@beatricetheves-engelbach8074 Picking up interesting things here and there is not the same as learning useful skills over a long period of time.
Equating those things is another reason why smart kids should stick with AI teachers instead of humans peddling trivial wisdom for knowledge.
@zeno7201
July 26, 2026 at 12:44 pm
From a guy with a personal teacher business I think we all know why he his so biased. AI teaching is a great tool, I’m not saying it should replace traditional teaching but it’s basically free and you can’t say it does it job poorly when you prompt it well. Anyway not the greatest TED show ever made.
@franimal86
July 26, 2026 at 12:50 pm
AI is BS
@beatricetheves-engelbach8074
July 26, 2026 at 12:55 pm
Isn’t tutoring a basic practise in northen Europe at school ?
@DailySimpleEnglishTV
July 26, 2026 at 12:59 pm
AI can deliver information, but it can never give a student the belief and empathy another human can.
@mirabiliabm
July 26, 2026 at 1:13 pm
@TED Insightful!
@TardigradeTough
July 26, 2026 at 2:28 pm
Never say never they could be famous last words
@Jasonxbr
July 26, 2026 at 3:05 pm
No 💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💯💯💯💯💯💯💯
@malcolmmutambanengwe3453
July 26, 2026 at 3:27 pm
To be honest, I’m kinda loving my AI teachers. What I need most is to learn, and the best teacher wins.
@BrianMcInnis87
July 26, 2026 at 4:14 pm
Stop telling men named Al they can’t be great teachers.
@BrianMcInnis87
July 26, 2026 at 4:23 pm
My god, Dave Barry would have a BALL with the phrase peer tutoring.
@deathsoul8875
July 26, 2026 at 7:35 pm
what website app used here when one teaching or discussing with the other ?