Summer’s over, backpacks are packed, and students across the country are heading back to school. But in 2025, “school supplies” don’t just mean pencils and textbooks—they mean AI. Platforms like ChatGPT have become an essential part of how this generation learns, studies, and even thinks.
As a technologist and real estate investor, I pay close attention to shifts like this. AI is no longer a niche experiment; it’s a utility, woven into everything from property analysis to underwriting. What’s fascinating is how quickly it’s becoming indispensable to younger generations.
Summer Slump, Fall Surge
Data from AI platform OpenRouter shows just how seasonal AI engagement has become. In May, during finals week, students collectively churned out nearly 100 billion tokens of ChatGPT content in a single day. Then summer break hit—and daily usage plummeted to just over 36 billion tokens per day in June and July.
Now that schools are back in session, those numbers are climbing again. And this isn’t just a blip. Google searches for “AI laptops” quadrupled between April and May, and Pew Research reports that teen ChatGPT usage for schoolwork has doubled since 2023.
If you’re building businesses, products, or real estate strategies for the next decade, this is the kind of adoption curve you pay attention to. This is how habits get cemented.
The Productivity Revolution Is Starting Early
AI isn’t just a calculator or spellchecker—it’s a full-scale reasoning engine available on every phone and laptop. Teenagers are growing up with tools that compress hours of research into minutes. That’s both exciting and concerning.
On one hand, I use AI every day for market research, modeling capital stacks, and accelerating due diligence. It’s a multiplier of productivity and creativity. On the other hand, schools and universities are still grappling with what this means for intellectual standards, critical thinking, and academic integrity. Overreliance is a real risk, but so is ignoring a generational shift in how knowledge is consumed and applied.
Why This Matters Beyond Education
In real estate, finance, and tech, we’re witnessing a massive efficiency unlock. AI is no longer something only hedge funds or data scientists can afford; it’s democratized. If a teenager can write a research paper with a chatbot in under an hour, imagine what that means for underwriting multifamily deals, designing modular housing systems, or forecasting rent growth in emerging markets.
For developers like me, this is a reminder: the next generation of homebuyers, renters, and investors is being shaped by this tech right now. They’ll expect AI-powered services everywhere they go, from property search to project financing.
AI isn’t a back-to-school trend. It’s a generational reset. And if you’re not already leveraging it—whether in education or real estate—you’re behind.