Why Ai Can't Replace Classical Education with Leigh Bortins
From Refining Rhetoric with Robert Bortins by Robert Bortins
May 6, 2026 · 43 min · Season 1 · Episode 213
About this episode
Robert Bortins discusses with Leigh Bortins how classical education prepares students for an AI-driven world.
Is artificial intelligence a threat to your child's education — or proof that classical education was right all along? In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins sits down with Classical Conversations founder and aerospace engineer Leigh Bortins to explore what 40 hours a week of AI research taught her, why classical education uniquely prepares students for an AI-driven world, and how to use AI wisely without letting it use you. From narrow AI and its medical breakthroughs, to the difference between rule-based and behavior-based language, Leigh breaks down how AI actually works — and why homeschool families grounded in grammar, rhetoric, and a Christian worldview have nothing to fear. They also discuss the Imago Dei and work, why children need to struggle to develop, the chainsaw analogy for AI, and how Classical Conversations families have been preparing for this moment for nearly 30 years. Veritasium: What Everyone Gets Wrong About AI and Learning – Derek Muller Explains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xS68sl2D70
People in this episode
Host: Robert Bortins
Guest: Leigh Bortins
Topics covered
- artificial intelligence
- classical education
- homeschooling
- Christian worldview
- AI in education
- student development
Keywords
- artificial intelligence
- classical education
- homeschooling
- AI research
- Christian education
- student development
- Imago Dei
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Classical Conversations
Books & works: Veritasium: What Everyone Gets Wrong About AI and Learning
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