#foundations

Tom Yeh (AI by Hand, CU Boulder) argues that teaching AI math by hand at human speed — actually writing out the matrices — builds the kind of foundational skill that survives every technology wave, from big data to deep learning to quantum computing.

The Gyeongbokgung palace analogy lands well: the whole palace burned down in the 1500s except the stone foundation, and they rebuilt on the same base centuries later. Matrix multiplication is that foundation. His hiring point is equally sharp — if you hire for genuine curiosity and problem-solving, AI adoption follows automatically. No "AI-native" mandates needed.