Park: San Jose’s ‘AI for All’ is a strong start, but California must go further

San Jose is preparing residents for the largest technological shift since the rise of the internet.

With the launch of “AI for All,” the city signals that artificial intelligence should be accessible to everyone. But San Jose is not alone in facing this moment.

Across America, two forces are shaping the next generation. One is the rapid advance of AI and the companies building it. The other is the daily work of education: the teachers, parents and students who will inherit this transformation. Together, they define our future. The question is whether we will let these worlds drift apart or find the courage to bring them together.

AI companies are racing ahead, training smarter systems and transforming every sector of the economy. Their work drives growth, generates jobs and strengthens America’s competitiveness. Profit is not greed — it is proof of value creation, the engine that turns an idea into a global tool. Innovation has always depended on the freedom to build and take risks.

Yet as these systems enter classrooms, we are reminded that children are not test subjects or data points. Education carries a different mandate — to nurture discernment, empathy and critical thought. Recognizing this and supporting AI innovation is not a contradiction, it is essential.

The companies creating the next generation of AI systems and the educators preparing students to use them are approaching the same challenge from different directions, converging on the shared goal of expanding human potential. Innovation creates possibility, and education gives that possibility purpose.

That shared mission should guide America’s next chapter. We need a framework in which the builders of AI and the stewards of learning work side by side. AI companies should embed educators in product design before tools reach classrooms. Schools should integrate AI literacy and ethics so students learn to challenge AI rather than copy it. These steps are not barriers to innovation, they make progress sustainable.

There is also a practical reason to unite these worlds — equity. The benefits of AI mean little if broadband access, teacher training and infrastructure do not reach the schools and families who need them most. The talent of tomorrow can only be fully unlocked with classrooms equipped to teach ethics, creativity and the skills that machines can’t replicate.

The development of AI and education also have something else in common — iteration, feedback, curiosity and improvement, which are critical to both. What differs is the timeline. AI moves in quarters. Education moves in generations. Our responsibility is to bridge that gap without compromising either. We can build systems that are both profitable and principled, fast and fair, efficient and empathetic, if we are willing to insist on all of the above.

AI will continue to ask what is possible. Education will continue to ask what is right. The strength of our country will depend on how well those questions are answered together. AI builds the tools of the future. Education shapes the people who will use them. The test of our time is whether we can champion both with equal ambition and equal care.

Jason Isaac Park represents California on the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and is the first Gen Z Californian elected to a four-year term on the DNC. His opinion is solely his own.