Bob Chopra, a 9-year-old entrepreneur and Founder & CEO of IvySchool.ai on empowering Gen Z with tools to build and innovate.
If there is one thing I have learned growing up in the AI era, it is that my generation is not waiting for the future — we are already building it. Kids today use sketching apps before they can spell them. They ask questions like, “Can I automate my homework?” and “Can AI help me start a business?” The world they are stepping into is powered by code, creativity, and intelligence that learns alongside them, and they are eager to contribute to it.
However, even with access to powerful tools, Gen Z and Gen Alpha need guidance, firm foundations, and environments that responsibly unlock their abilities.
Modern low-code and no-code platforms such as Scratch, MIT App Inventor, and the AI-powered Lovable allow young innovators to convert ideas into functional products quickly — encouraging experimentation without requiring deep coding experience from day one. Yet these tools are only the beginning.
The future is not about using technology. It is about building with it.
Anyone can prompt an AI model and generate something. But the leaders of the next decade — the founders, engineers, and creative technologists — will be those who understand how technology works under the hood. That is why computer science fundamentals are so important. They build the muscles behind every future skill: problem-solving, logical reasoning, algorithmic thinking, and structured creativity. Once those roots are strong, AI becomes a multiplier of innovation rather than a shortcut.
Gen Z and Gen Alpha are the next wave of founders.
Our parents built startups in garages. My generation will build startups from laptops — not at 25, but at 9, 12, or 15. Kids today have something no previous generation had: instant access to university-level learning, affordable tools to build real products, global platforms to showcase their creativity, and AI helpers that accelerate their imagination. The only missing piece is the right pathway.
From digital literacy to digital leadership
Many schools focus on teaching how to use computers or AI. But our generation doesn’t need digital literacy; we already have it. We need digital leadership: the ability to question systems, design solutions, build prototypes, assess risks, think critically and responsibly, and innovate with clarity rather than impulse.
That is why at IvySchool.ai, children learn to combine creativity, logic, and ethics. They discover that tools are powerful, but judgment is even more powerful. Innovation becomes not a hobby but a mindset.
Tools don’t create innovators, opportunities do
When young learners are given the right skills early, their creativity becomes visible. I have personally seen:
- a 10-year-old building her own math game,
- An 11-year-old creating an AI system to schedule chores,
- a 13-year-old launching a chatbot for his school,
- and a 9-year-old (me) building an entire platform.
Kids don’t need permission — they need direction.
When you combine computer science fundamentals, modern AI tools, and structured entrepreneurship, Gen Z and Gen Alpha stop being “the future generation” and become the generation building the future.
Equal access matters
Despite being tech-savvy, young learners still face real challenges: information overload, inconsistent learning quality, and unequal access to technology. Empowering them requires high-quality learning resources, inclusive opportunities, and strong mentorship.
Creating holistic ecosystems that blend cutting-edge tools with responsibility, creativity, and accessibility is how we unlock the full potential of a generation ready to lead the next wave of innovation.
Gen Z and Gen Alpha are not waiting to inherit the world — they are already designing it. Our responsibility is to give them the skills, guidance, and ecosystems to do it wisely.