Teacher Uses AI to Inspire Students

Over the past few years, we often hear about the downsides of generative AI in schools. There are plenty of stories about students using AI to write essays or complete assignments, causing concerns about honesty and originality in academics.

But amid these concerns, there are also moments that remind us of AI’s capacity for good—especially in education.

Today, I saw a video of a teacher using AI in a surprisingly inspiring way — she created images of her students as their future selves, based on each student’s dreams and career goals.

It was such a simple idea but had a big impact. Want to be an astronaut? The AI shows you in a spacesuit. Dream of becoming a doctor? The AI presents you in a lab coat, stethoscope and all.

Seeing the kids light up as they got a glimpse of their future selves was touching.

The teacher in the video used generative AI tools to create realistic images of each student in a future scenario that matches their career aspirations.

It’s not clear which specific app was used, but my best guess is it was one of a few AI photo platforms like PhotoAI.com, HeadshotsPro.com, or FluxLabs.ai.

How the Teacher Created the Images

To give you a better sense of how these apps work, let’s break down a basic example.

Imagine you want to use FluxLabs.ai to create an image model with your own face, placing yourself in different scenarios that match your career goals or hobbies.

First, you’d need a handful of photos of yourself — different angles, expressions, and so on. I would assume that the teacher in the video had to get parents’ permission to use photos of their kids.

Next, you upload these photos to the AI’s “train model” page. The app takes about 10–20 minutes to create a model based on the uploaded photos.

Once the training is done, you can use the trained model to generate photos of the subject in whatever situation you can imagine.

Here are some examples:

Prompt 1: jimclyde as an astronaut wearing a space suit holding is helmet in one arm. He is posing for a photoshoot before the flight

Prompt: jimclyde as a doctor wearing a lab gown and a stethoscope. He is in a lab room posing for a shot

Prompt: jimclyde as a rockstar wearing a rockstar outfit and holding a guitar. Posing from a stage like he’s having a concert. He has a long black hair

Awesome! I look super cool as a rockstar.

You can play around with the text prompt. The end result would always be a subject that looks uncannily like the subject in the training images.

The AI even lets you adjust the subject’s age. For example, you could write a prompt like:

Prompt: jimclyde as a 60-year old businessman wearing suit and standing in a room full of professionals. He looks old with white hair and saggy skin. He is the owner of a huge company and posing for a company photoshoot

It’s pretty magical — and just a little eerie — how the AI can show a version of the subject’s future self that still looks like them.

Using AI to Empower, Not Just Mere Utility

As seen in the video, their faces light up with awe and curiosity. Some kids are visibly thrilled seeing their potential future selves. There’s a real joy in their smiles — the kind that comes from being seen, recognized, and believed in.

Generative AI, often criticized for being disruptive or even harmful, finds an undeniably touching application here. Check out some of the reactions on Reddit:

My mom is a grade school teacher and would love her to know about this AI use-case. This would surely make her pupils very happy.

Not Everyone’s Sold on It

Of course, it’s impossible to please everyone.

If you go through the comment section of the Reddit post, it’s not entirely positive. Some raised questions about the potential risks of showing children an idealized future that they might never reach.

One commented with skepticism:

“This is gonna be a topic for their therapist in 10 years of why did I fail my dream goals.”

Others questioned whether it was harmful for kids to aspire to their goals at all. There’s a fine line between inspiration and creating unrealistic expectations, and this approach treads that line.

Having said that, it’s very important that these kids understand the images presented to them are just one possible version of their future, not a definitive prediction.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this video put a smile on my face, and I wanted to share it with all of you.

The teacher who came up with this idea didn’t just use AI to teach — she used it to inspire. And isn’t that what education should be about? Not just passing along knowledge but helping kids dream and see what’s possible.

In many ways, this story is a microcosm of the broader conversation around AI. There’s enormous potential for good—inspiration, education, creativity. But there are also risks that can’t be ignored.

AI is a tool, and like any tool, its impact depends on how it’s used.

Today, technology is often seen as alienating or even damaging to young minds. This example highlights a positive use of AI. It brings a sense of hope and possibility into the classroom.

Ultimately, the question isn’t whether AI should be used in education, but how. If we can utilize AI to motivate, uplift, and support students — to help them see not just who they are, but who they could be — then it’s a step worth taking.

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