As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly ubiquitous, AI tools are making their way into classrooms with a clear mandate to empower—not replace—teachers.
One of the most exciting areas where this is happening is at the intersection of AI and video. Together, these technologies are being used to enhance engagement, scale personalized learning in ways that until now have not been possible, and free up educators’ time so that they can focus on their students.
To better understand how educators and edtech providers are adapting to these changes, we spoke with Lisa Li, Chief Operating Officer of Boclips, and Annie Davis, Chief Product Officer at WeVideo. Boclips offers the world’s largest curated library of educational videos, sourced from trusted media and education brands, and organized by learning objective, grade level, and curriculum standards. WeVideo is a cloud-based learning platform that enables teachers and students to create and edit video content with built-in tools for interactive learning, engagement tracking, and AI-powered assessment.
We asked Lisa and Annie to share their insights on the power of video, the promise of AI, and what it takes to implement both effectively and responsibly.
Why has video become such an important medium for educators?
Lisa Li: Today’s students aren’t just digital natives, they’re video natives too who instinctively communicate, engage, and learn through video. Teachers and administrators understand that and, according to our research, are adapting accordingly. When we surveyed over 500 teachers last year, we found that 95% of them use video in their classrooms, with more than half reporting that they use it weekly and one in five saying they use it daily. The most common reasons they gave for relying on video were to supplement lessons, reinforce key concepts, and help connect what they were teaching to the real world.
The power of video is that it brings learning to life. It’s a way of moving beyond textbooks to demonstrate Newton’s laws in action, show how algebraic equations apply to sports, or get high school students excited about Shakespeare by showcasing live performances from The National Theatre. Video also allows educators to expose students to diverse viewpoints and can show them how what they are learning applies to real life.
Today’s students aren’t just digital natives, they’re video natives too who instinctively communicate, engage, and learn through video.
Annie Davis: Exactly. It’s also about meeting students where they are. So many of them spend hours every day watching video content on their phones through apps like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. It’s how they like to consume content and learn when they are outside of the classroom. By integrating video into the classroom, we can get—and keep—their attention while making learning more authentic for them. With attention spans declining and engagement a constant challenge, video is a powerful medium for storytelling, creative expression, and learning. It just makes sense for teachers to embrace it.
What opportunities does AI open up for educators in the context of video?
Annie Davis: Teachers are overburdened and constantly being asked to do more with less. AI can help by handling manual tasks like generating interactive quizzes about material covered in a video, creating discussion prompts, analyzing student responses, and surfacing insights from classroom data. Work like this is really important, but also time consuming. AI can ease that burden by doing this work for them or, at the very least, giving teachers a starting point that they can adjust as they see fit.
I like to think of AI as a co-pilot. Rather than try to replace educators, good AI tools are a powerful way for teachers to scale their efforts. They might use AI and video software to analyze their students’ comprehension, for example, and pinpoint exactly where they need to spend more time reviewing concepts. That not only saves time, but also allows them to be much more effective at bringing students along as they progress through the curriculum.
Lisa Li: At Boclips, we take a content-first approach to AI, which creates lots of opportunities. For example, we use it to scale our expertise and enrich our content by identifying the learning outcomes in videos, tagging them with the right metadata, and then aligning them to meet teachers’ needs. We also use AI to surface the exact moments in a video that align with specific learning objectives, making lesson planning faster and smarter. We want to make it as seamless as possible for a teacher to find, assess, and integrate the right videos into their classes.
How does this technology benefit students?
Lisa Li: Video has long been a powerful tool for personalization that teachers have used to tailor their instruction and support different learning styles. If a few students need extra help understanding a concept, a teacher can assign them a video to watch without having to hold the rest of the class back. Conversely, for those students who want to go beyond the curriculum, video can be a powerful tool that teachers can use to help them dive deeper and extend their learning. Layering AI on top of this supercharges video’s potential to personalize learning by making it easier to locate the most relevant video content and embed it into other applications, all while ensuring it is safe and of the highest quality.
Good AI tools are a powerful way for teachers to scale their efforts.
Annie Davis: And AI’s real-time assessment features mean students receive immediate feedback. That drives engagement and encourages growth. Whether it’s video-based discussions, interactive assignments, or project-based learning, AI allows teachers to diversify how they measure understanding—beyond traditional multiple-choice tests. We’re also seeing early versions of AI that can suggest content to help bridge gaps in student knowledge.
You recently launched a partnership between Boclips and WeVideo. What makes this collaboration so impactful?
Lisa Li: We’ve integrated Boclips’ content directly into the WeVideo platform. That means teachers can search our library of more than 1.8 million videos—from trusted brands like PBS, Crash Course, Scripps Media, or Big Think, through to educational creators and teacher-favorites like Amoeba Sisters and Doodles & Digits—right inside WeVideo. They can then layer on interactive elements like multiple-choice questions, free response, and discussion prompts to create full learning experiences.
Annie Davis: It’s a game-changer. Rather than navigating the challenges and unvetted content often found on general video platforms, our partnership provides educators with direct access to a curated, curriculum-aligned video library from trusted sources within a secure environment. The combination of high-quality content and interactive tools makes the experience both safer and more engaging. Teachers can also create their own video content, record lessons, and build entire units with interactive video playlists. This is exactly the type of platform that is needed right now to enable teachers to easily, effectively, and safely unlock the full value of AI driven video content in the classroom.
What’s your philosophy when it comes to using AI without losing the human aspect of teaching?
Annie Davis: We think of AI as a starting point. It might generate interactions or assessments, but it’s ultimately the teacher who’s in control and who has to review, adjust, and approve everything. Our tools are designed to augment—not override—their professional judgment. It’s really about saving time and expanding capacity.
Lisa Li: Agreed. We think about it in terms of support, not substitution. Our Boclips Assistant tool, for example, lets a teacher input a lesson plan and receive suggestions for videos to embed into it. But it’s up to them to decide what fits their class. AI helps connect the dots, but it’s always the teacher who is drawing the map.
We think of AI as a starting point. A co-pilot, not auto-pilot.
There’s still some skepticism around adopting AI in schools. How are you addressing that?
Lisa Li: In contrast to open web or platforms where anyone can upload a video, we’ve curated a library of vetted content. We also carefully vet each one of our more than 650 content partners and only work with those who meet our high standards for quality and accuracy. Our partners include globally recognized names as well as individual creators, many of whom are educators themselves, who are not only trustworthy but whose storytelling capabilities make learning a much more engaging experience.
Annie Davis: We also offer clear permissions and control. Schools can toggle AI features on and off, and administrators get insights into usage. Most importantly, we focus on adding value to teachers. There’s a lot of AI fatigue in edtech right now with vendors announcing new AI features all the time. We try to avoid gimmicks and focus on what actually makes a teacher’s job easier.
What advice would you give to school leaders trying to build an effective AI strategy?
Annie Davis: Be thoughtful about who you partner with. Look at vendors’ AI policies to see if they explain how their models are trained and what data they use. Try to assess whether or not their tools are designed ethically and transparently and whether they ease the burden on teachers or add to it. Successful integration also requires a clear plan for professional development, addressing potential infrastructure needs, and ensuring equitable access for all learners.
Lisa Li: I’d add that it’s important to focus on the foundations. AI is only as good as the content it draws from. If a tool pulls from unverified online sources, you’re risking disinformation in the classroom. A curated library like the one we have at Boclips provides a reliable backbone. We believe the combination of trusted video content with pedagogically grounded tagging is what makes AI truly valuable.
Where do you see AI and video heading in the next few years as a learning tool?
Lisa Li: Historically, high-quality video creation has been resource-intensive. AI-supported video creation tools, including WeVideo’s platform, have made it easier than ever to create your own content. That’s an exciting prospect for teachers and students alike, as well as for our own content creators because it means that they can translate their ideas to video faster than ever before. Of course, as with any tech, there’s always risk, particularly in an educational context. We think that’s why having trusted educational content is so important.
As content created by generative AI floods the internet, trusted educational content will become more valuable than ever. We’re committed to helping teachers navigate that complexity by giving them a safe, reliable platform. We’ll also continue developing tools that let teachers remix and adapt video content, always keeping them in control.
Annie Davis: I’d add that we are heading toward more synchronous learning experiences—real-time assessments, live classroom polling, and richer student-teacher engagement. AI will play a big role in analyzing those interactions and helping teachers respond quickly. We’re also thinking about project-based learning and assessment tools that can evaluate student-created videos.
Both of you have emphasized that AI isn’t about replacing teachers, but empowering them. Why is that message so important right now?
Lisa Li: We’ll never replace the relationship between a student and a teacher. It’s core to how learning happens. Our job is to build tools that make that relationship more effective, not obsolete. Especially in an age where misinformation is rampant, the human element of education is more important than ever.
Annie Davis: That’s why our approach isn’t about chasing flashy trends. It’s about listening to what teachers need and building tools that make their lives easier and their classrooms more impactful. Video and AI can help make learning more creative, personalized, and engaging—but only when they are designed in a way that keeps educators in the driver’s seat.