This interview is with Vasilii Kiselev, CEO & Co-Founder at Legacy Online School.

Vasilii Kiselev, CEO & Co-Founder, Legacy Online School

Vasilii, for those unfamiliar with your work, tell us a bit about your background and what led you to co-found Legacy Online School.

I co-founded Legacy Online School with the deep-seated belief that education can be flexible, accessible, and tailored to each individual. My background is a mix of both technology and education; I always had a strong interest in how tech can transform the way we look at traditional learning.

Before setting up Legacy, I had been involved in various other endeavors, one of which made me realize the inflexibility of traditional schooling. I felt that there was a gap in the market that could be filled by a school that combined the quality of education with flexibility in terms of online learning.

What really inspired me in setting up Legacy was the growing need for personalized education. We live in a world where every student learns differently, yet the traditional school system often forces them all into the same mold. What we are trying to do at Legacy is provide that solution by embracing technology without losing that human touch, which plays such an important role in learning. We're not just another online school; what we offer will be an experience tailored to the special needs of a student, an experience that would allow them to own their learning. That's my motivation every single day.

Your journey as an entrepreneur in the ed-tech space is inspiring. Can you share a pivotal moment or experience that solidified your passion for transforming education through technology?

Thank you for your kind words! My journey into the ed-tech space began with a deep-seated belief in the transformative power of technology in education. It was early in my career, working with 3D tech, where I witnessed firsthand how digital tools could revolutionize industries. This experience sparked a realization: if technology could transform creative fields, why couldn't it do the same for education?

This insight led me to co-found Legacy Online School, where we aim to blend innovative technology with personalized learning experiences. Our goal is to create an environment where students can learn at their own pace, with resources tailored to their individual needs. By leveraging tech, we strive to make education more accessible and engaging, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed.

At Legacy Online School, you've successfully integrated AI into various aspects of the learning experience. Can you provide a specific example of how AI has personalized education for your students and what impact it has had?

We have integrated pathways of AI-powered personalized learning at Legacy Online School to greatly improve the student experience. If a student struggles to understand a particular math concept, for example, the system will analyze their performance, identify gaps, and help tailor our curriculum in real-time to afford extra practice.

This allows students to master each concept before moving forward, ensuring they’re not left behind. The results have been impressive: a 20% increase in student performance of subjects using AI-driven personalization, while 90% of students reported that they feel much more confident in their learning.

Since the implementation, students have become much more engaged, and retention rates have gone up 11%. Now, AI frees our teachers to give time for personal coaching, automating a lot for them, including grading and progress tracking. It is therefore possible that the learning environment turns more dynamic, whereby tech coupled with human instruction will eventually help learners rise to their fullest potential.

It's not just raising achievement but personalizing learning more, making learning more enjoyable and effective.

Many educators are excited about AI's potential but also wary of its challenges. What's one unexpected hurdle you've encountered while implementing AI at Legacy Online School, and how did you overcome it?

One of the more unexpected challenges we had to face in using AI at Legacy Online School has been ensuring it did not make their learning experience feel too impersonal. While AI can make education tailored and personalized, we found out that keeping that human contact is even more vital to keep students engaged.

To counteract this, we use the power of AI to track progress, suggesting resources, yet the teachers remain very much involved in providing emotional support and personalized guidance. We think the right balance of AI capabilities with human interaction allows us to leverage the learning experience without losing that personal touch.

You've spoken before about AI's ability to assist teachers rather than replace them. How have you seen this dynamic play out at Legacy Online School, and what advice would you give to educators hesitant about incorporating AI in their classrooms?

We have seen AI playing an important role in supporting, and not replacing, our teachers at Legacy Online School. For example, AI helps with automating routine tasks, such as grading and tracking student progress, so teachers can spend more time on what really counts—building relationships and providing personalized support to students. With AI insights, teachers are able to identify areas where students may need extra help and make targeted interventions accordingly.

For educators who are cautious, my advice would be to begin with small steps and focus on how it can make their workload less hectic. AI is not about replacing the teachers; it's about giving tools to teachers so that they can be more effective and free up time for meaningful, human interactions. Think of AI more as a partner, not a replacement. It can take over some of that repetition, so teachers can do what they do best: connect with your students and plant a love of learning in them.

Looking beyond Legacy Online School, what excites you most about the future of AI in education, and what potential advancements do you foresee shaping the learning landscape in the coming years?

That's a good one! I'd say what really excites me about the future of AI in education is how it's going to make learning even more personalized. I can imagine AI that not only knows how a student is doing academically but knows how they're feeling, and what makes them tick. That could lead to experiences where AI would help nudge students when they're struggling along—or challenge them when they're ready to go further.

I am also looking forward to the demand for AI tutoring; all students will have access to tutors regardless of their physical location in the world. This would level the playing field and provide all students with the help they would need to succeed.

Access to quality education is a global challenge. How can AI help bridge the gap and create more equitable learning opportunities for students worldwide, especially in underserved communities?

I believe AI can turn the game upside down, more so in under-resourced communities. Offering customized learning to students irrespective of geography or socio-economic background—even in the lack of great teachers or resources. The exciting part for me is how AI breaks barriers for learners with language barriers, provides real-time support, and makes learning accessible anywhere, anytime. It's not just about the technology; it's about making sure every kid, regardless of whatever circumstance, can achieve. That's the kind of change we need in education.

Education policy plays a crucial role in shaping the adoption and implementation of new technologies like AI. From your perspective, how can policymakers best support the ethical and effective integration of AI into education systems?

Policymakers, indeed, have a crucial role in ensuring the ethical inclusion of AI into educational processes, and it is not a simple issue that can be solved overnight at all. There is a growing concern about data privacy and security and how AI will not further widen inequity in education.

For this to happen, policymakers need to give well-framed guidelines, offer equal access to AI technology on every school grounds, and provide teachers with training. It is also important that AI enhances human interaction, not replaces human interactions, in schools. While there is a lot to tackle, it's exciting to see where this will take us in further developing an inclusive and personalized education system.

As a leader in the ed-tech field, what advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to make a difference in the world through education technology?

My advice would be to start by connecting with the real world of education—talk to teachers, students, and parents about their struggles and what they wish they had. Technology is a tool, not the end goal. Focus on creating solutions that actually make life easier for educators and more engaging for students.

Also, be ready for a long journey. Ed-tech isn’t an overnight-success kind of space—it takes time to build something that truly sticks. Keep the human side of education front and center, and let your passion for making a difference drive you through the challenges. That’s where the real magic happens.