Manny’s: What’s the Point of School Now?

AI, the End of Certainty, and the Future of Being Human

The credential economy is collapsing. AI can pass the bar, ace the SAT, and write a decent McKinsey deck…in seconds. Meanwhile, institutions that once held monopolies on legitimacy—universities, corporations, governments—are losing trust faster than they can rebuild it.

And yet: young people still need to become something. Not just skilled. Not just employed. But capable of navigating radical uncertainty, making wise decisions under pressure, and leading when systems fail. The social contract around credentialing is breaking, but the need for real formation has never been higher.

So what is education actually for now? And how will we develop humans who can lead when the playbook doesn’t exist?

Join Abby Falik, founder of The Flight School, and George Lee, Co-Head of Goldman Sachs Institute and board chair at Middlebury College, for a candid conversation about what comes next—not for “the future of work,” but for the future of being human in a world increasingly optimized for everything else.

Are we training better robots—or better humans? What can’t be automated? And how do we move young people from fear-based achievement to flourishing?

This isn’t edtech solutionism or disruption theater. It’s the question we should all be asking: What kind of humans do we need, and how will we grow them?

No platitudes. No pitches. Just two people working the problem in real time—with space for you to push back. Bring your hardest questions.