Artificial intelligence has entered the classroom — and students are using it. But is this the death of academic integrity… or the beginning of a new learning model?

Kevin Cirilli sat down late last year with Michael Hansen, CEO of Cengage Group, one of the world’s largest edtech companies serving more than 12 million digital learners, to unpack what’s really happening in schools and universities right now. As generative AI tools blur the line between assistance and dishonesty, educators face a fundamental question: are we policing students for using the tools of the future — or redesigning education around them?

Hansen, who led Cengage through bankruptcy and into a 70% digital transformation, explains how AI is reshaping testing, credentialing, and the very definition of knowledge. From AI-powered student assistants to subscription-based course models that challenge affordability, this conversation goes beyond headlines to explore the structural reinvention of education.

In a world where machines can write essays, what does human mastery look like? And are we measuring the right skills for the economy students are actually entering?