When Tech Meets Trust: Two Education Interventions That Actually Work

Forbes

06-05-2025

A female Johns Hopkins University student studies in the Brody Reading Room at the Brody Learning ... More Commons with her laptop and notebooks in front of her with red headphones around her neck at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, 2013. Courtesy Eric Chen. (Photo by JHU Sheridan Libraries/Gado/Getty Images). Getty Images
In the discourse around artificial intelligence in education, we often hear two opposing narratives: AI will either revolutionize learning by making it more personalized and accessible, or it will dehumanize education by replacing the essential human connections that foster growth. But what if both these narratives miss the mark?
The education technology landscape is full of tools that promise to automate human limitations. But two organizations—Matriculate and Mainstay—are demonstrating a more powerful and nuanced path: using technology not to replace people, but to elevate what only humans can do.
Bryden Sweeney-Taylor, CEO of Matriculate, described how their organization addresses a critical but often overlooked problem in college access: many high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds never apply to the selective colleges they're qualified to attend—a phenomenon known as 'undermatching.' Matriculate bridges that gap by pairing these students with trained college mentors—peers who share similar backgrounds and have recently gone through the admissions process. Through one-on-one virtual advising relationships, students gain support that is both personal and practical, helping them build confidence, expand their aspirations, and successfully apply to top schools.
Mainstay (formerly AdmitHub) takes a different but complementary approach. As founder and CEO Drew Magliozzi explained, their goal is to support students at scale using AI-powered conversations—while never losing sight of the human element. 'AI as Iron Man suit for gifted educators,' is how Magliozzi framed the ideal relationship between tech and teaching. For Mainstay, AI provides real-time guidance and nudges, while human advisors step in at key moments to offer judgment, empathy, and accountability.
Both organizations reveal the same truth: when used thoughtfully, technology can become a force multiplier for connection, not a substitute for it. Their models suggest that the future of education isn't a choice between human or machine—it's the strategic blending of both.
"I think that work is powerful not only because it's putting a set of institutions on those high school students' radars that wouldn't necessarily be there initially. To hear [from] a student who's just been through this process, who comes from a similar background, [who is] … at this institution and succeeding," is a source of inspiration and support for applicants, Sweeney-Taylor explained.
What makes Matriculate's model especially powerful is how technology enables these relationships to transcend geographical limitations. "All of our interactions between advising fellows and high school fellows happen virtually," noted Sweeney-Taylor. "Using video chat, document sharing, text message, phone calling, emailing... And what that means for us is that we have from the get-go been able to have a national reach… in places where there aren't a lot of other college access resources available to them."
This virtual approach allows Matriculate to serve over 3,500 students annually, connecting them with advisors who might be hundreds or thousands of miles away yet share similar backgrounds and experiences. Mainstay's Human-in-the-Loop Discovery
While Matriculate uses technology to enable human connections, Mainstay deploys AI conversations at scale to support students through critical transitions. But they've made a fascinating discovery: AI alone isn't enough.
"It turns out that human in the loop, even just a little bit of the time, actually triples the outcomes that we get. So without the human, we're about one-third as effective," Magliozzi revealed.
This finding came from what Magliozzi described as "the most important research study we ever did... the one that had the least impact." In this study, they removed the human oversight component that normally accounts for just 2% of their interactions. The results were enlightening.
The paradox they identified is that "our greatest strength is also our greatest weakness when it comes to AI interventions with students," said Magliozzi. "The greatest strength they all tell us is, 'I felt like I could be vulnerable with this thing because I could tell it things about me and I didn't feel judged.'"
But that same lack of judgment creates less accountability. "If I tell an AI chatbot, I promise I'm going to file that paperwork by next Tuesday, I'm a lot less likely to do it if my actual advisor is not privy to the conversation as well," Magliozzi explained.
This insight has shaped how Mainstay designs its systems, ensuring human advisors are alerted at critical moments – like when a student mentions dropping out – even if AI handles the majority of routine interactions. The Power Of Augmentation
Both organizations have landed on a similar fundamental principle: technology should augment rather than replace human connection in education. This approach recognizes that while AI can provide information and answer questions around the clock, certain aspects of education require human presence.
As Magliozzi put it: "The job of educator has always been both to be the subject matter expert and be the empathic motivator who has a deep caring and connection to the student. Interestingly enough, AI actually affords the ability to make the subject matter expertise the scalable, infinitely available thing and creates the opportunity for anyone who has a deep relationship with a student to play that role exceptionally well."
This insight reminds me of what I've observed in my own work with students: the most important moments in education often aren't about information transfer but about presence, belief, and human connection. Whether it's a college advisor helping a student navigate the emotional complexity of leaving home or a professor noticing a student's hidden potential, these profoundly human moments can't be automated away. However, they can be preserved and amplified by thoughtful technology. Lessons For Educational Innovation
What can other educators and institutions learn from these approaches? Several principles emerge: Identify the uniquely human elements of your educational mission and protect them fiercely when incorporating AI and advising at scale. Not everything should be automated. Use technology to extend reach, not replace connection. Both organizations use virtual tools to transcend geographic limitations while preserving authentic relationships. Design for vulnerability and accountability. The most effective systems create safe spaces for students to express needs while ensuring human support at critical moments. Leverage data to enhance human judgment, not replace it. Both organizations use insights from their platforms to help human advisors make better decisions about where to focus their attention.
As we navigate the rapidly evolving educational technology landscape with the advent of AI, these organizations offer a refreshing perspective to the often contentious discourse about AI's role in education. They demonstrate that the most powerful approach isn't choosing between technology and human connection, but thoughtfully integrating both.
In our rush to embrace AI's capabilities, we would do well to remember what these organizations have discovered: technology works best when it amplifies our humanity rather than attempting to replace it.