I sat down with Ali Romman, a 14-year-old freshman at Alpha School in Austin who’s already using AI like a co-founder. He’s vibe coding an MVP in public and building an AI-powered tool that helps people design and buy the right gaming PC, even if they know nothing about computers.

This conversation is a real look at what kids are facing right now: AI in schools, cheating vs learning, what guardrails actually work, and why the new “gap” isn’t access to tools, it’s curiosity, initiative, and how fast you can learn.

Topics we cover:

• AI isn’t “coming”, it’s already in the classroom: what that actually looks like day-to-day
• Cheating vs learning: where Ali draws the line and why boundaries matter
• College and how AI is changing the value of traditional education
• Vibe coding a real MVP: how Ali’s building a PC configurator + chatbot
• Building in public at 14: confidence, pressure, and learning at startup speed
• Fail fast mindset: getting beta testers and feedback instead of guessing forever

Tools, Platforms, and References Mentioned:

• ChatGPT, Gemini 3 Pro, Claude 4.5 Opus
• Alpha School (https://alpha.school/)
• Cline (VS Code extension) (https://cline.bot/)
• Cursor
• “Fail Fast, Fail Often” (book) (https://www.amazon.com/Fail-Fast-Often-Losing-Help/dp/0399166254)

Who this episode is for:

• Founders and builders who want a glimpse of what the next generation is actually doing with AI
• Parents trying to navigate “should my kid use AI?” (spoiler: they already are)
• Educators and school leaders thinking about ethical AI policies and real guardrails
• Anyone who needs proof that you don’t need permission, credentials, or a CS degree to build now

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"How I AI" is a concept and podcast series created and produced by Brooke Gramer of EmpowerFlow Strategies LLC. All rights reserved.