In the last three years, AI tools have rapidly reshaped how many of us plan, analyze, and manage our work. I reflected on this recently as I spoke to the graduating class of the Learning Forward Academy at our annual conference in December 2025.

The Academy is Learning Forward’s flagship professional learning program, a 2 1/2-year learning experience in which individuals and teams develop and implement strategies to overcome persistent challenges and strengthen educator practice. When this graduating class began in July 2023, AI was barely part of educators’ lexicons. By the time they completed the program, AI was a topic of daily conversation and, for many, daily use.

During my remarks, I asked participants to make some noise if their job had changed since they started. The response was immediate. Then I asked them to consider whether their engagement with AI had moved from “What is this?” to “I think AI just saved me three hours.” The laughter in the room said everything.

As these graduates moved into the next phase of their professional journey, I offered five practical reminders for leadership in the age of AI.

AI can speed up aspects of the work, but it cannot do the work of your heart. AI is already helping educators accelerate routine tasks, deepen analysis, and expand what feels possible during the workday. Used well, it can be a powerful partner. However, the real impact in schools and systems still comes from human judgment, relationships, and care. The leaders who make the greatest difference will be those who use AI to enhance their work while keeping their humanity at the center.

Curiosity is a leadership necessity. Leaders who remain open, keep learning, and explore new tools without fear will be the ones who help shape the future of leading, teaching, and learning. This does not mean chasing every new trend. It means maintaining disciplined openness and a willingness to ask what new possibilities might support educators and students.

The Standards for Professional Learning matter more than ever. While AI is transforming workflows, it does not change what high-quality professional learning requires. The Standards for Professional Learning continue to provide the essential framework for improving teaching, school leadership, and student success. The faster technology evolves, the more important it becomes to stay grounded in what we know works.

Your role is to create the conditions where adults and students feel safe to learn, try, fail, and grow. Psychological safety, strong community, and trust remain the foundation of continuous improvement. Professional learning leaders set the tone for whether innovation feels risky or supported. No technology can replace this responsibility.

AI is powerful, but you are transformational. This is the most important point to remember. Your leadership, vision, integrity, and compassion are the forces that help educators and students thrive. AI can extend your reach and increase your efficiency, but it will never be the reason an adult or child believes in themselves or takes the next steps on their learning path.

Much has changed around professional learning leaders. What has not changed is their commitment to their own learning, their colleagues, and the students whose lives they influence every day. That steady focus gives me confidence about the future of our field. In a time of accelerating technology, transformational leadership remains, at its core, a deeply human endeavor.

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