Learning With AI Through Creativity: How MakeInspires Brings Mitchel Resnick’s Vision to Life

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming how young people learn, imagine, and solve problems. This is prompting a vital question for educators and families alike: How do we harness AI in a way that strengthens rather than replaces children’s creativity, agency, and collaboration? 

This question lies at the heart of MIT researcher Mitchel Resnick’s influential essay, “Generative AI and Creative Learning: Concerns, Opportunities, and Choices,” where he argues that we must make intentional choices about how to integrate AI into learning environments. You may not have heard of Mitchel, but his work has impacted millions of students. His Lifelong Kindergarten research group developed the Scratch programming software and online community , used by millions of young people around the world. The group has also collaborated with the LEGO Company on the development of new educational ideas and products, including the LEGO Mindstorms robotics kits.

At MakeInspires, we build our programs around exactly the kind of values Resnick emphasizes, designing AI experiences that are driven by creativity, personal interests, and joyful experimentation.

Resnick raises important concerns about how many AI tools in education limit learner agency, emphasize “close-ended” problems, and undervalue human connection. He warns that if AI just becomes a smarter tutor or coach — one that hands out answers — then we risk enforcing the very patterns of learning that don’t encourage risk-taking, independent thinking, or deep collaboration. Many of Resnick’s concerns are often many realities for parents. 

To counter those risks, Resnick proposes his Four P’s of Creative Learning:

• Projects — Authentic, open-ended tasks where learners truly build, test, revise. 

• Passion — Students work on things that matter to them, making learning personally meaningful.

• Peers — Collaboration fuels idea-sharing, feedback, and shared problem-solving.

• Play — A playful, experimental mindset that encourages exploration, iteration, and joy. 

At MakeInspires, these Four P’s aren’t just theory, they guide our day-to-day AI-infused programming. We use AI tools like in our Play AI Classes to help students generate ideas, but we always pair that with hands-on building, whether it’s physical models, robotics, or storytelling. Kids start with imaginative digital prompts, then move into making, testing, refining. Our instructors scaffold rather than dictate, helping learners turn AI inspiration into real-world creations.

Collaboration is a key part of our learning space. Students share their designs, give each other feedback, and solve problems together. Thus, developing not just technical skills but communication, empathy, and persistence. And through playful experimentation, mistakes become part of the design process. If a prompt goes off in a weird direction, that becomes an opportunity to pivot, try something new, and learn.

These choices matter for a lot of reasons. Educationally, they help kids build confidence, resilience, and a stronger sense of what they’re capable of. Socially, they foster connection, community, and the ability to work well with others. Technically, they give students real insight into how AI works and what it can be used for. Therefore, they don’t just consume AI, they shape it.

We invite parents and educators to connect with MakeInspires to explore how our AI-powered, hands-on programs bring Resnick’s vision to life. When children learn with AI through building, collaborating, and playing. They become more than users of technology, they become creators, thinkers, and innovators.