I am not advocating for learning fast or slow. I am advocating for “personalized” and “competency-based” learning supported by AI, and proposing that the Government create a legal framework for it. Therefore, learning fast or slow depends on the capability of the student.
——
(Full version. Published on the Government Portal – after being condensed – thanks to journalist Le Thuy for editing.)
Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024, of the Politburo clearly identifies: innovation, science and technology, and digital transformation are strategic breakthroughs for national development. To achieve these breakthroughs, education is the foundation, and artificial intelligence (AI) is the key tool to realize that goal.
“Creative destruction” is the process through which old models are replaced by superior ones – irresistibly. If the Industrial Revolution once transformed physical production, then today, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is doing the same for education: fundamentally changing the way humans learn, teach, and operate an entire ecosystem – eliminating monopoly on access, personalizing learning, and accelerating learning speed like never before.
The traditional roles of teachers – such as “knowledge communicators” or “inspirers” – are gradually being replaced by AI models that can tutor, provide feedback, and adjust content in real time.
We are entering a wave of “creative destruction” in education, with AI at the center. The question is no longer “should we use AI?”, but “are we using it fast enough – and how?”
AI ELIMINATES THE MONOPOLY ON KNOWLEDGE: Knowledge is No Longer a Privilege
Previously, to access in-depth knowledge, you needed to go to school, meet a good teacher, or even have connections or luck. Knowledge used to be a privilege – belonging to teachers, doctors, engineers, lawyers, lecturers… But now that is no longer the case.
With AI, knowledge is no longer a privilege. A 14-year-old student can study biomedicine at a doctoral level or learn behavioral economics from top professors – all with a click of a mouse. No need to “seek out a master to learn the way.” AI can teach you anything – in the way you understand, at the speed you choose, and at nearly zero cost.
This is truly “destructive” to the old education model. When knowledge no longer belongs exclusively to anyone, the role of the traditional teacher will have to change completely (teaching methods, assessment methods, personal roles, etc.). And frankly, up to this moment, I still cannot fully visualize what that new role of the teacher will be – except for one certainty: education is no longer a privilege.
Even the role of inspiring – something seemingly irreplaceable – is also being challenged. AI does not get bored or scold you, does not judge you, and does not get tired when you ask for the 100th time. And above all, AI is always there – 24/7 – whereas teachers cannot be. That day is very near when AI will motivate and inspire you better than a human – because AI will remember and adjust according to your emotions, encouraging you even better than a human teacher.
PERSONALIZING LEARNING: The Great Dream of Education – Now a Reality Thanks to AI
For a very long time, all educators – from schools to policymakers – have shared a dream: every student gets to learn in their own way; learn at their own pace, according to their true capability and interest. Rather than being stuffed into the same curriculum, the same timeframe, the same type of test, and then compared with peers as if everyone was born to take the exact same math test.
However, to personalize learning, we required a condition that was almost impossible: one good teacher for each student. A tailored curriculum for each individual. A real-time monitoring and feedback system. All of those things – previously – were too expensive and virtually impossible to scale.
But then AI arrived.
AI is not only capable of teaching, but also able to adjust content, teaching methods, voice, pace, and even the use of examples to best suit each individual student.
AI remembers what you learned yesterday, where you got stuck last week, and which topic you are interested in. It does not need a lunch break, and most importantly, AI does not require a salary, except for power.
The question is no longer “should we personalize learning?”, but “do we dare to use AI to do it?”
If implemented for real, costs will drop breakthrough-wise, and efficiency will increase exponentially.
Only AI can turn equality in education from a slogan and dream into reality.
ONLINE LEARNING AND BLENDED LEARNING: From Alternative Choice to Irreversible Trend
When knowledge is no longer expensive, when everyone can learn at their own pace and preference – then online learning and blended learning suddenly become irreversible trends. If you can learn anytime, anywhere, from any source of knowledge – what reason is there for you to remain fixedly seated for 45 minutes in a crowded classroom?
The biggest issue with online learning in the past was the lack of instructors, lack of encouragement, and lack of timely feedback. But now, AI has removed that barrier. Thanks to virtual teaching assistants, adaptive learning systems, and 24/7 learning support chatbots, students can learn – practice – ask – have mistakes corrected – and receive feedback instantly. No need to wait for teachers. No need to wait for class.
Learning becomes flexible, more dynamic, and more effective. And as AI is increasingly deeply integrated into programs, online learning is no longer “Plan B” – but is becoming Plan A – even superior to centralized learning.
With AI and capability-based learning, a diligent student can finish high school in just 5–7 years, instead of having to wait out the full 12 years as currently required. They do not need to wait for summer, or wait for friends to study together. If graduating from high school at age 12–13, then by age 16 they could already finish university, and even complete a few PhD degrees before turning 20. Therefore, the fixed duration of 12 years of K-12 education and 4 years of university is completely obsolete.
An example demonstrating the potential of self-paced learning is Kairan Quazi, the American boy who graduated from university at age 14 and became an intern at SpaceX. Since age 9, Kairan self-studied through online platforms like Khan Academy and Coursera, unbound by the rigid progress of school classes. Thanks to that, he shortened his entire high school and university pathway in just a few years.
CHANGES FROM THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR
While we are still hesitating, overseas implementations have been carried out very aggressively.
In the US, the AI4ALL Open Learning program provides free online courses on artificial intelligence for high school students. This program specifically aims to support students from underrepresented groups in the AI field, helping them access knowledge through hands-on projects and discussions on the social impact of technology. With accessible content, AI4ALL Open Learning opens up opportunities for students to explore and develop skills in the AI field early on.
Starting from the 2025–2026 school year, China will officially require all students from primary to high school to study a minimum of 8 hours of artificial intelligence per year. This policy is part of the national plan for next-generation AI development, with a curriculum covering topics such as machine learning, data science, and programming skills. AI will be integrated into existing subjects or taught as a standalone subject, using learning methods via AI assistants, hands-on projects, and interactive simulations.
As for the Vietnamese private sector – those on the practical frontline – they could not and did not want to wait any longer.
Starting from the 2025–2026 school year, our entire EQuest system – from primary school to university – will roll out AI rooms, STEM Labs, and AI teaching. The goal is not to train programmers, but for students to understand and use AI as a foundational capability.
At EQuest, AI is a mandatory core competency – no longer an advanced option. Employees who do not know how to use AI will no longer be suitable to continue their work or be promoted. That is not harshness, but a natural requirement of the AI era.
We do this not for glamor, but because if we do not change immediately, when the AI tsunami hits, it will be too late.
POLICY AND ACTION
A famous AI scientist told me: “The future of humanity depends on how we learn and work with AI.” If we are not open-minded and decisive, we will fall behind very quickly.
In this era, the biggest challenge to development is not a lack of technology, but a lack of political determination (which we already have from Resolution 57 of the Politburo), a lack of very specific policy vision, and a lack of decisive action speed.
To implement effectively, I propose that the Government immediately execute three solutions as follows:
- First, establish an elite task force comprising practical experts to offer specific action solutions on AI applications in education, within a few months rather than a few years.
- If done seriously and truly decisively, AI will help reduce costs and raise quality significantly, and solve tough current problems such as universalizing English teaching to expanding STEM education, and solving both the teacher shortage problem and the educational investment budget.
- Second, issue a national strategy on AI in education clearly and urgently, aiming to define “understanding and using AI” as a core competency of 21st-century citizens.
- The national education system must be redesigned from this mindset with very specific actions and policies – it is impossible to continue maintaining the old approach in an era transforming by the day.
- These strategies cannot stay on paper, let alone take over a year of conferences and waiting.
- Third, create a legal framework to recognize full-time online learning and blended learning at both high school and university levels, while simultaneously allowing the shortening of study duration based on capability.
- Online learning and blended learning have become irreversible trends – helping every learner accelerate their learning process, reduce costs, and learn in the way most suitable for them.
- Currently, Vietnam has not recognized full online learning at the high school level, and still caps the online learning duration at university to only 30%. These regulations are said to ensure “interaction with teachers” and “maintain quality,” but have become outdated in the AI era.
- Why can’t a fully capable student graduate from high school at age 12? Why can’t a university student complete a degree program in 2 years? If we do not change our mindset and legal framework, policies will become shackles hindering modern education.
WHEN THE AI TSUNAMI HITS
Education cannot be a horse-drawn carriage running in the era of electric vehicles. When the world has already acted, debating, hesitating, and deliberating for too long will only cause us to fall far behind. Educational reform cannot merely be resolutions; it must be concrete, urgent, and decisive action.
If we are late by even a single beat, the future of the entire nation will be left behind the world when the AI tsunami hits.
At that point, the dinosaurs will be extinct!
Nguyen Quoc Toan
