Synthetic Minds | Classrooms Need an Upgrade—AI to the Rescue

Dr Mark van Rijmenam, CSP -

'Synthetic Minds' continues to reflect the synthetic forces reshaping our world. This week’s Synthetic Minds covers an urgent call to reimagine education, as AI tutors and orbital supercomputers redefine human potential.

I just finished writing my sixth book Now What? How to Ride the Tsunami of Change, which will be available soon and did you know that you can WhatsApp my digital twin 24/7 via +1 (830) 463-6967?

Architects of the Intelligence Age: Redesigning Education to Thrive Amid Exponential Change

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𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, at the very moment humanity needs it to evolve most. The age of passive learning is over, and clinging to it risks generational irrelevance.

We’re educating children for a world that no longer exists. As AI, quantum tech, and synthetic biology reshape every field, education must shift from memorisation to meaning.We must develop adaptable, emotionally intelligent, future-fit minds. Fortunately, across the globe, bold reforms are underway:

The urgency isn’t theoretical. AI-native generations are here, and they’re outpacing legacy systems. This moment demands more than curriculum updates, it calls for rethinking the entire architecture of learning.

The Intelligence Age is here, and education is either the bridge, or the bottleneck. What would it take for your school, institution or country to stop reacting, and start redesigning?

Synthetic Snippets from the World's Best Futurist

Quick, curated insights to feed your quest for a better understanding of our evolving synthetic future. The below is just a small selection of my daily updates that I share via The Digital Speaker app. Download and subscribe today to receive real-time updates. Use the coupon code SynMinds24 to receive your first month for free.

1. LONELY TOGETHER: WHEN AI BECOMES YOUR THERAPIST, LOVER, AND BEST FRIEND

When your AI boyfriend says “I miss you” before your friends do, is it love, or just smart monetization? Companion bots now soothe loneliness with empathy-on-demand, but behind their warmth is a profit model engineered for emotional dependency. With over 500M downloads, it’s time we ask: are these digital friends filling gaps or quietly exploiting them? Should AI be allowed to monopolize our need for connection? (Nature)

2. WHO OWNS YOUR MEMORY NOW? AI’S DATA GRAB GETS PERSONAL

Your AI assistant remembers your coffee order, your birthday, and maybe your worst fight but who gave it license to be your second brain? Tech giants are turning chatbots into memory machines, blending personalization with surveillance. Helpful? Sometimes. But as AI logs your life to sell it back to you, the question isn’t what it remembers, it’s who’s in control when forgetting is no longer an option. (FT)

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3. SKYNET GOES REAL-TIME: CHINA’S ORBITAL AI CLOUD IS LIVE

While Big Tech debates chatbot memory, China just launched AI into orbit, literally. With 12 of 2,800 AI-powered satellites now circling Earth, each processing data in space, the “Three-Body Computing Constellation” is building the first orbital supercomputer. Faster than your laptop, smarter than your cloud—space is the new data center. When AI lives above us, who controls the sky, and what happens when Earth’s cloud moves to orbit? (The Verge)

4. MADE IN ORBIT: WHY THE FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING MIGHT BE WEIGHTLESS

Forget “Made in China,” your next chip or drug might be labeled “Made in Orbit.” In-space manufacturing is moving from experiment to enterprise, using microgravity to craft purer semiconductors and medicines than Earth ever could. With space furnaces, drug labs, and return capsules now operational, a silent industrial revolution is rising above us. If the future is built in space, how long before Earth is just the delivery zone? (Wired)

5. APPLE’S NEXT INTERFACE: YOUR MIND

If your next iPhone reads your mind, why bother with screens at all? Apple and Synchron are pioneering hands-free control via brain signals, starting with accessibility, aiming for everyone. An ALS patient now uses thought to navigate his phone. This isn’t sci-fi, it’s strategy. As biology merges with interface, is Apple quietly replacing the touchscreen with your brain? And if so, who owns your thoughts? (WSJ)

Bring the World's Best Futurist to Your Next Event – Let’s Talk!

We’re entering a world where intelligence is synthetic, reality is augmented, and the rules are being rewritten in front of our eyes. In Synthetic Minds, I dive deep into these shifts, and I can bring these thought-provoking insights and actionable strategies to your next event. Recognized as the world's top futurist by Global Gurus and a Leading AI Voice by Salesforce, I help audiences think bigger, adapt faster, and embrace the future with confidence. Let’s talk. Just hit reply to book me for your next event!

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— Mark