When Transformation Stalls: South Korea’s AI Textbook Rollback Is a Warning to Us All
“The future does not belong to those with the best plans, it belongs to those who bring their people with them.”
-Christa Hill
When Transformation Stalls: South Korea’s AI Textbook Rollback Is a Lesson to Us All
On paper, South Korea’s bold move to embed AI-powered textbooks into every classroom looked visionary.
They aimed to overhaul the entire educational model—replacing static materials with dynamic, personalized, AI-enhanced learning experiences. The kind of shift that screams “future-ready.”
But that future never arrived.
Despite all the ambition, less than 30% of schools adopted the AI textbooks. Teachers were overwhelmed. Parents revolted. A new government reversed course, and the initiative was scaled back.
From the outside?
It looks like a project failure.
But let’s be clear: this was a product failure—and a textbook case of what happens when transformation is led like a task list instead of a movement.
Project Management vs. Product Leadership
Projects have fixed endpoints. You define the outcome. You map a plan. You execute.
That’s great for road construction.
But not for systems transformation.
Products evolve.
They invite feedback.
They fail small and often to avoid failing big.
They let humans co-create and opt in—rather than being forced to comply.
South Korea had a beautiful endgame—but no bridge to get there. They imposed a massive leap forward without the fluency, comfort, or agency of the people meant to use it.
This wasn’t a rollout. It was a shockwave.
And when things got messy?
They rolled back.
The Two Core Transformation Fails
They went too fast—without people.
No phased pilots. No opt-in experiments. No feedback loops. Just a one-size-fits-all plan handed down from above.They rolled back instead of rolling forward.
Great transformation leaders don’t retreat. They adapt. They use failure as fuel to redesign—not abandon—the vision.
This Isn't Just About Korea. It’s About All of Us.
Everywhere I go, I see the same project mindset getting in the way of seeing the wins:
✨ A powerful idea.
✨ A bold tool.
✨ And a rollout that treats change like a checklist, not a journey.
Especially in AI, the stakes are getting higher—and the same pattern keeps repeating.
People are overwhelmed. Adoption stalls. Leadership backs down. Rinse, and repeat.
But here’s the truth:
The future doesn’t belong to those with the best plans.
It belongs to those who can bring people with them.
So that 30% adoption rate that this article says is a failure…. That was actually over 6,000 elementary schools that did fully adopt! In Canada for context, we only have just over 10,000 elementary schools nation wide. So that “fail” would have been a HUGE win here!
What to Do Instead
If you’re leading AI adoption, cultural transformation, or major change, start here:
Test small. Fail fast. Learn faster.
Invest in fluency. Train your people before you tech them up.
Listen, iterate, and reframe. Change isn’t one announcement—it’s a thousand conversations.
You can’t bulldoze your way to transformation.
You build it—product by product, person by person.
Ready to Lead Differently?
At Tacit Edge, we train leaders to master the skills that will define this next era:
Advanced AI fluency
Product management thinking
And the emotional intelligence to lead humans through it all
If you’re ready to transform your organization people first—not at their expense—join us for our next live webinar.
The future lives in the combination of technology + humanity.
When you can lead both?
You become unstoppable.
Link to full article on South Korea:https://www.freiheit.org/north-and-south-korea/south-korea-slows-down-ai-education
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