Matteo Zaralli sits at the unique intersection of education, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship. A university lecturer in Rome specializing in AI for business, he is also a pioneer in learning innovation. He founded VRAINERS, a virtual reality-based training platform, and VoxcoachAI, an advanced tool that provides real-time, data-driven feedback on your speaking voice, clarity, and delivery for high-stakes presentations and pitches.
In 2022, Matteo was awarded a prestigious Fulbright scholarship, joining the BEST Programme in Silicon Valley and collaborating with the vibrant StartX community at Stanford. He is the author of two insightful books published by Routledge (Taylor & Francis): Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence: Risks and Opportunities for Your Business (2024) and The Evolution of Professional Training: How Artificial Intelligence Technologies Can Accelerate Learning (2025).
His professional journey began during a transformative year abroad in high school, an experience that challenged his core assumptions and refined his critical thinking. Ever since, he has bridged the gap between business, philosophy, and technology, fueled by the conviction that modern learning must be practical, immersive, and profoundly personal.
In this interview, Matteo breaks down how AI is reshaping education—from the rise of active, simulation-based learning to the importance of real-time performance feedback. Throughout our conversation, he consistently returns to a crucial challenge for every modern student: are you genuinely learning, or are you simply delegating your critical thinking to an algorithm?
His message is clear: while technology will continue to advance at breakneck speeds, long-term success is still defined by your daily habits, intellectual curiosity, and your agility in a changing world.
Online Result: You recently attended the World Education Summit in Dubai. What were the key takeaways from the event?
Matteo Zaralli: It was an eye-opening experience. The summit gathered innovative companies from around the globe to discuss the future of higher education. The overwhelming focus was on AI—it is undeniably the primary driver shaping the direction of the industry right now.
Online Result: You operate at the intersection of EdTech and AI. How did your path lead you into this specialized field?
Matteo Zaralli: It is the culmination of various experiences, starting with my high school exchange program, Intercultura, where I spent a year abroad.
That year broadened my horizons, taking me far beyond the familiar environment of my hometown. Living in a different country isn't just about exploring new cultures; it's a journey of self-discovery that reveals what lies within your own character.
The experience forced me to evaluate my values, question my deeply held beliefs, and acknowledge the sheer scale and complexity of the world.
This insatiable curiosity led me to study philosophy—an unconventional foundation for someone entering the tech world, but one I consider essential. Philosophy taught me to ask the right questions: Why are we building this, and who is it for? I remained obsessed with the persistent inequality in educational access and why so many bright minds are hindered by their geography or financial circumstances.
My time in California as a Fulbright scholar was the turning point. Being surrounded by innovators committed to positive change convinced me that technology, if used ethically and intentionally, is the ultimate tool for democratizing education. I began focusing on VR—not as a toy, but as a medium to build immersive, emotionally resonant experiences that break the constraints of traditional classrooms.
My work with Vrainers, VoxCoach, and my books are all extensions of that same childhood question: how can we empower individuals to reach their full potential, no matter where they start their journey?
Going abroad is an amazing experience. It challenges your values, your beliefs, the way you grow up and develop. You start questioning everything, and you realise how big the world is. There is so much to learn, so much to discover, and so many people to meet.
Online Result: Looking back, what is the most significant internal shift you experienced after studying abroad?
Matteo Zaralli: When you navigate a foreign country, you begin to think in new structures, influenced by the grammar and lexicon of a different language. That mental shift creates unique cognitive skills.
For me, it was all about adaptability. You stop seeking only the familiar and start embracing the unfamiliar. That inherent flexibility and openness to new situations were the most profound changes I underwent.
How failure is the first step to success
Online Result: I see a collection of diplomas behind you, including the Fulbright. How did that opportunity come to be?
Matteo Zaralli: I was awarded it in 2022, but I initially won the scholarship in 2020. The pandemic delayed things significantly. It was a rigorous process—I applied three times, failing twice, before finally succeeding. I spent eight months in the US, first in an accelerator at Mind the Bridge in San Francisco, then at StartX, the entrepreneurial community affiliated with Stanford.
Being there taught me so much about the intense, creative energy required to build something that delivers true value to the market.
The mindset was particularly striking. Failure isn't viewed as a terminal event; it’s a necessary step. The motto "Build fast, fail fast, iterate faster" was pervasive. The goal is to extract lessons from the failure, pivot quickly, and maintain momentum.
The most important thing is that you try again. There was a quote I heard a lot: “Build fast, fail fast, try again fast.” Even if you fail the first time, the important thing is to learn from the experience, rebuild yourself quickly, and try again.
Online Result: Competition for top universities and prestigious scholarships is fierce. What practical advice would you offer to students aiming to stand out?
Matteo Zarralli: There is no secret formula. It comes down to discipline and consistent habits. Consume industry-relevant content, read broadly, and prioritize daily learning. Success isn't about grand gestures once a week; it’s about what you do every single day.
There is no secret sauce to success. I would say first you need the discipline to build habits that take you there.
I immersed myself in the startup and innovation ecosystem, consuming every resource I could find. I dedicate part of each day to deep research to ensure I’m staying ahead of global trends in my field.
Another practical step is to network with those who have achieved what you aspire to. I did this during my Fulbright application process. I reached out to past scholars on LinkedIn, requesting short 10- or 20-minute calls. Even if only some responded, it was a vital part of the process.
Online Result: You have a background in business management. What drew you specifically to AI and the future of education?
Matteo Zaralli: My career began in a training firm focused on educational tools. While pursuing my own university studies, I became obsessed with discovering more effective pedagogical methods.
I realized that technology provides a powerful foundation for simulating real-world challenges, sparking emotional engagement, and facilitating active learning.
Technological capabilities have reached a level where we can simulate complex scenarios with unprecedented realism. This allows for skill development and immediate feedback, enabling students to learn through doing rather than mere observation.
Take public speaking: traditionally, people practice in front of a mirror or ask friends for feedback. But friends often lack the specialized expertise to give truly objective, helpful advice.
VoxCoach solves this by using AI to analyze your pace, tone, and clarity, offering actionable data in real time. It removes the stress of social judgment, providing honest, constructive guidance. That is exactly the type of supportive, high-tech learning experience I wanted to build.
How AI is reshaping the way you learn
Online Result: How do you integrate these AI tools into your classroom with students?
Matteo Zaralli: I always pose one fundamental question to my students: "Are you truly learning while using AI?" If the answer is yes, then utilize it as a powerful assistant. If you are just using it to bypass the work, you are delegating, not learning. Delegation is acceptable, but only if the core learning process is still taking place.
AI generates outputs based on the quality of your input, or your prompts. Mastering the art of asking the right questions is a vital skill, and it’s one that requires practice and critical thought.
Online Result: With AI integration becoming ubiquitous, what is the line between smart usage and academic dishonesty? What changes for professors?
Matteo Zaralli: It is a critical debate. Transparency is non-negotiable. For professors, it means we must know our students deeper—their individual strengths, challenges, and aspirations. We have shifted from being mere dispensers of information to becoming mentors who guide students through these complex technological tools.
We are not just teachers delivering information anymore. We have to become leaders for our students, guiding them through these tools and helping them more than before.
For students, it comes back to the same question: are you learning? You should be pursuing a degree to gain competence, not just a certificate. If the AI is doing all the thinking for you, the entire value proposition of your degree is lost.
One of the great benefits of AI is its capacity for simulation—it can act as a coach, helping you prepare for presentations, exams, and written tasks far more effectively than traditional methods.
Online Result: How has your university, or the Italian higher education landscape in general, evolved?
Matteo Zaralli: I am an alumnus of the institution where I now teach; I earned my Bachelor’s in Business Administration and my Master of Science in Management there.
I appreciate the university’s commitment to self-development and personal growth rather than just rote technical proficiency. That philosophy has profoundly influenced my own professional approach.
We are actively introducing cutting-edge subjects like AI in business. My goal in these courses is to show students how to leverage these technologies thoughtfully and correctly.
First-year students often ask, "Can we use these tools?" My response is always that it depends entirely on whether they are using them to enhance their understanding or replace it.
We bridge American and British methodologies, creating a more dynamic environment than many traditional Italian universities.
Online Result: In such a volatile world, how can students make career decisions when modern education often doesn't cover the skills they actually need?
Matteo Zaralli: The pace of technological change makes long-term forecasting impossible. Flexibility and the ability to adapt in real-time are the most critical skills a student can cultivate.
Continuous learning is mandatory. With new updates, tools, and platforms appearing daily, you must actively track what is happening in your field and how it changes your workflow.
Don't aim for grades; build a portfolio. You have the power to create projects, platforms, and websites faster than ever before. Tasks that once required a full team can now be executed by an individual using clever prompting.
It’s not only about studying for grades. You should also build your portfolio during your university years. Today, there is a speed of creating things that didn’t exist before. You can build projects, platforms, even websites much faster.
This democratization of creation is immensely powerful; any student with an idea can now turn it into a tangible product.
Stop looking for a 20-year career path. Instead, focus on building agility, learning constantly, and using these tools to accelerate your unique projects.
Online Result: Which careers or degrees do you suspect will become obsolete in the next decade?
Matteo Zaralli: CEOs at leaders like Anthropic and OpenAI are already suggesting that traditional manual coding might not be required in the future.
We must focus on uniquely human skills. We need to identify what machines do best versus what we do best, and how to maximize that partnership. The future is built on human–AI collaboration.
Emotional intelligence and strategic communication will be paramount. While AI can handle tasks like writing, it cannot replicate the nuance of personal communication, especially when you are advocating for yourself or your vision.
That communication ability must be developed through trial and feedback. You can use tools to practice, but the authentic human effort remains yours alone.
In Palo Alto, an entrepreneur once asked me what field I thought would be AI-proof. I initially mentioned data science, but he surprised me by choosing philosophy—specifically, its focus on critical thinking and complex human interaction. I found his perspective incredibly compelling.
Choosing your path in a fast-changing world
Online Result: As an AI expert, would you recommend a student pursue a degree in 2026?
Matteo Zaralli: I did exactly that. I balanced business and philosophy, while also taking deep learning and machine learning courses to understand the core technology.
My advice is to be transversal. Cultivate a primary area of expertise—like economics, medicine, or law—but complement it by branching into computer science or the humanities.
Workshops in psychology or philosophy are invaluable. The more we advance in AI, the more we realize how little we truly understand about the human brain.
Strive to understand not just your field, but the nature of human versus artificial intelligence. These interdisciplinary insights are the most relevant currency in today’s workforce.
If you treat the gym as a place for your body, consider philosophy a gymnasium for your mind.