In the past year, artificial intelligence (AI) has made waves in classrooms from the American Midwest to the heart of Pyongyang, signaling a new era in education that few could have predicted even a decade ago. On November 27, 2025, North Korea inaugurated its first integrated K-12 school, a state-of-the-art institution featuring robot teachers and an AI-powered classroom, according to the cabinet-run Minju Joson news outlet. Meanwhile, across the globe in Missouri, the Palmyra School District is grappling with how to responsibly and effectively integrate AI into its own educational system, as reported by WGEM.
These two stories, though separated by thousands of miles and vastly different political systems, share a common thread: educators and policymakers are wrestling with how best to prepare students for a future where AI is as common as chalkboards once were.
North Korea’s new school, which received direct attention from leader Kim Jong Un, stands as a symbol of the regime’s intent to showcase technological prowess and modernity. The ceremony marking the school’s opening was more than just a ribbon-cutting; it was a statement. According to Minju Joson, the institution is the first in the country to combine all grades from kindergarten through twelfth grade under one roof, and it does so with the help of robot teachers and an AI-powered classroom environment. This leap—especially in a country known for its tight information controls and limited access to global technology—raises eyebrows and questions alike.
State media’s coverage didn’t stop there. In a parallel story, Minju Joson highlighted the renovation of a dilapidated kindergarten, a project funded not by the state but by local security officials who reportedly spent their own family savings. The message seemed clear: North Korea wants to project an image of innovation and community-driven improvement, even in the face of significant economic hardship. The juxtaposition of high-tech educational advances and personal sacrifices for basic infrastructure paints a complex portrait of the nation’s priorities and challenges.
Further underscoring the regime’s focus on foreign engagement, the Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il Foundation—a group that relies heavily on donations from pro-North Korea foreigners—has launched a new bank, likely aimed at securing much-needed foreign currency. While not directly tied to the school’s opening, this development hints at a broader strategy: leveraging international connections and technological advancements to shore up the country’s resources and image.
Across the Pacific, the Palmyra School District in Missouri is navigating its own AI journey, but with a distinctly different approach and set of challenges. As of December 12, 2025, the district has articulated three primary goals for AI implementation: providing professional learning opportunities focused on the ethical use of AI, integrating AI tools to enhance instructional planning and student learning, and promoting responsible AI use among both students and staff. These goals reflect a cautious optimism about the potential of AI in education, tempered by an awareness of the ethical and practical pitfalls that can accompany new technology.
Kaylee Meyer, Palmyra Middle School’s Assistant Principal and Chief AI Coordinator, described the district’s hands-on approach to testing AI in the classroom. In a recent experiment, seventh grade science students used AI to check the truthfulness of their research—a controlled environment designed to model ethical and effective use of the technology. "We’re just in a controlled environment, learning new ways to use AI in an effective way, also for types of things like study for tests, those types of things too. And then we also need to promote responsible and effective use of AI among students and staff," Meyer told WGEM.
But the district isn’t just experimenting with AI for students. Staff training is a key part of the rollout, ensuring that teachers are equipped to use AI tools for lesson planning and classroom management. As Meyer put it, "It’s very important we keep them up to date and abreast about everything that is going on in the world. And if we do not give them the tools to use AI, they are going to be lost when they do get out, and so we have to make sure that we, you know, as all years are like that and to get them ready for their future. And so AI is a part of their future, so we are going to have to give them the tools to accomplish that."
This emphasis on preparing students for an AI-driven future resonates far beyond Palmyra. Around the world, educators are wrestling with how to balance the promise of technological advancement with the need for ethical guardrails. The Palmyra School District’s focus on responsible use and professional development stands in stark contrast to North Korea’s top-down, showcase approach, but both reflect a recognition that AI is no longer a distant concept—it’s here, and it’s reshaping how children learn.
The differences between these two educational experiments are as stark as their similarities are striking. In North Korea, the introduction of robot teachers and AI classrooms is part of a broader narrative of self-reliance and technological progress, often orchestrated for both domestic and international audiences. The government’s direct involvement, as highlighted by Kim Jong Un’s personal attention to the school, signals the political significance of the project. Yet, the simultaneous story of local officials dipping into their own pockets to renovate a kindergarten serves as a reminder that not all educational advances come from the top—or with the latest technology.
In the United States, the conversation is more decentralized, with local districts like Palmyra setting their own pace and priorities. The focus is less on spectacle and more on practicality: how can AI help teachers plan lessons, analyze data, and support student learning without sacrificing ethics or responsibility? The district’s methodical approach—testing AI in controlled settings, training staff, and emphasizing ethical use—offers a model for other schools navigating similar uncharted waters.
Of course, challenges remain on both sides of the Pacific. For North Korea, the high-tech trappings of its new school stand in contrast to the economic realities faced by much of its population. The need to rely on foreign donations and personal sacrifices for basic improvements suggests that the path to widespread educational modernization will be anything but smooth. For Palmyra and districts like it, the challenge is one of scale and sustainability: ensuring that all students and teachers, regardless of resources, can access and benefit from the promise of AI without falling prey to its potential pitfalls.
As the world watches these parallel experiments unfold, one thing is clear: the classroom of the future is already here, and it looks very different depending on where you stand. Whether guided by the hand of a supreme leader or the careful deliberation of local educators, the integration of AI into education is reshaping not just how students learn, but what it means to be prepared for the world they will inherit.
For now, the stories of Pyongyang and Palmyra serve as reminders that while technology can bridge many gaps, it also reflects—and sometimes widens—the divides that already exist. The question isn’t whether AI will change education, but how, and for whom.
