UC Berkeley Instructor Says AI Is Hype. Meanwhile, China Is Building the Future. And America’s Educators Are Failing Our Kids.

How badly is our education system failing American kids in AI? Worse than you thought.

Lochhead🏴‍☠️

Jul 14, 2025

Thanks for reading.

Welcome to The Different Newsletter.

Musings for entrepreneurs, marketing leaders, category designers and creators with a different mind.

By Christopher Lochhead.

📉 AI in U.S. Schools? Not So Much.

A Pew Research poll (2023):
- 25% of K–12 teachers say AI does more harm than good
- 32% say it’s a mix
- Just 6% say AI is good
- 35%? No clue.
Gallup/Walton (2024–25):
- 28% of teachers oppose AI in classrooms
- 60% use AI themselves-saving up to 6 hours/week

You read that right.

One in four educators use AI.

While refusing to teach students AI.

Confidence in higher education tanking.

In 2015, 57% of Americans had high confidence in top tier schools.

That dropped to 36% by 2023.

With 32% expressing "little to no" confidence.

Only 15% of registered voters have a “great deal” of trust in Ivy League schools.

And a four year undergrad degree at a place like UC Berkeley is $200,000 US dollars.

Sadly. Huge parts of our education system are teaching (preparing) our kids for a world that no longer exists.

Even worse.

Too many educators. Are clueless about the future.

These people are against AI for our students. While they use AI themselves.

These people are committing (hypocritical) education malpractice.

Fucking our children and country.

At the same time.

As you let that swizzle in your cerebrum.

Consider.

China Crushing America in AI

Experts estimate Chinese LLMs are Only 3–6 months behind the US

72% of Chinese trust AI.

Only 32% of Americans.

Gee. I wonder why?

(Could it be US educators?)

The profundity of this problem is hard to over state.

📉 U.S. AI Talent Share Dropping

In 2019, the U.S. held 35% of the global elite AI talent pool (top 2% researchers).
By 2022, that number had fallen to 18%.
That’s a 17-point drop in just 3 years.
Nearly cutting its share in half.

The good news.

The US is still the top destination for the elite in AI.

Within US institutions, researchers of American and Chinese origin (based on undergraduate degrees) comprise 75% of the top AI talent.

Up from 58% in 2019.

The United States remains far and away the leading destination for the world’s most elite AI talent (top 2%).

And remains home to 60% of top AI institutions.

But given the distain for teaching AI in the US.

The downward trend in American AI talent will (likely) get worse.

While China’s AI capabilities increase.

(We can reverse this trend.)

Now. Grab yourself a beverage.

Find your happy place.

And let me tell you a (pirate) story.

I’ve been having a delicious fight with a guy on LinkedIn.

It started with a post I wrote about vibe creating everything you do. With your own custom AI. (we believe everyone should have / pay for their own AI)

Enter.

Mr. Stephen Klein.

CEO of a company that:

“…Offers the only values-based, end-to-end, Generative AI platform, application, and strategic advisory that addresses the entire eco-system and our goal is to specifically support leadership.

At the heart of our offering is a multidisciplinary team with expertise in AI, organizational psychology, ethics, and transformation.”

Mr. Klein proudly proclaims he’s a “Berkeley Instructor”.

And Harvard MBA.

In the comments of my LI post. The good instructor writes… and I respond.

Then it was on.

Normally, I ignore digital donkeys.
But this one needed a public body slam.

(Remember this guy ~~teaches~~ warps young minds. For $200k. At Bizerkly.)

Mr. Klein went on to fire posts like this.

His POV:

He’s right. Sort of.

Of course AI must be accompanied by a powerful human.

And… when that happens.

AI is a legendary thought partner.

(Winning races takes a legendary car. And a legendary driver.)

For people who can think.

And (of course).

Thinking.

About thinking.

Is the most important kind of thinking.

When you create your own custom LLM.

Input tons of smart stuff.

You can vibe create with AI.

Producing exponential results.

In ways that were not possible.

Eight months ago.

We know.

Because we’re doing it.

And we know hundreds of others who create massive new value with AI.

We advise some of the most exciting AI founders/startups in the world.

Clearly the good Mr. Klein, instructor of young people needed some education.

So. I did what I often do when presented with the imbecilic.

Confront feelings.

With facts.

Well.

(As you know.)

Facts make people with feelings angry.

So.

The CEO of a company that, “Offers the only values-based, end-to-end, Generative AI platform, application, and strategic advisory” wants us to believe that the AI growth data is bullshit?

Isn’t it fascinating. That when (some) get exposed.

They (often) double down on the stupid.

So why does this LinkedIn fight matter to you?

Never forget.

There are people teaching our kids.

And CEOs running our companies.

Who claim to be smart.

Who are overly credentialed.

Who are dumb as bricks.

(Especially about the the AI future.)

This POV isn’t anti-education. Or partisan.

Dumb is systemic. And right now, dumb is running the system. Credentialed incompetence is a silent (American) thief. Stealing the future.

AI is the greatest value creating new category of tech in human history.

During the ‘90s Internet build out. Legendary VC John Doerr famously said, “the Internet is under-hyped”. He was lambasted by the donkeys for it. Said he was a snake oil salesman.

John was right.

I’m here to tell you.

AI is under-hyped.

Yet many say AI Is Overhyped.

Some of them teach our kids.

Meanwhile, China’s Building the Future.