A summer project, in a sentence.

In 1998, being a “computer native” was a real edge; I picked up web development almost by accident because using computers just felt natural. I think we’re at the same kind of inflection point with AI, and I want my son on the right side of it well before he enters the workforce.

So this summer, my son is doing a 10-week AI program I put together for him. One topic per week, one working app per week. The front-end is a structured curriculum — multimodal generation, agents, RAG, voice, vibe coding, product design — but the real core of it is using Claude Dispatch as his tutor and TA. It’s already funded and connected to the services he needs, so the first hour isn’t spent debugging API keys. The weekly projects get tailored to his actual interests.

The inspiration was the Primer from Neal Stephenson’s The Diamond Age; it was an adaptive device that taught a child through conversation and doing, not lectures. That’s the goal here. Not to turn my son into an AI engineer, but to make him fluent enough that he can leverage these tools in whatever direction his career takes.

He’ll also do 30-minute video calls with people in my network — asking how they’re actually using AI in their work, and practicing talking to adults he’s never met. He’ll summarize each conversation and post it alongside the weekly project. (I’m setting up a parent co-op where we trade mentor-style conversations with each other’s kids.)

A few thousand dollars in token budget, a few hours a week from me. We’ll see how it goes!

Feedback welcome, especially from anyone who’s tried something like this. DM me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jessebknight.