In the 2024-25 school year, researchers from the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) studied 18 California schools--15 public charters, one public district, and two private schools--that are piloting artificial intelligence (AI) tools to address issues like learning gaps, behavioral challenges, and teacher inexperience. These schools serve different student populations--some serve large numbers of English learners, students with disabilities, and students from low-income households. The Silicon Schools Fund facilitated and funded the cohort of participating schools, guiding more than 80 educators (about half teachers and half administrators) through six sessions to learn about AI tools, identify problems of practice, and design their own AI pilots. Across over 30 pilots, some participants crafted custom tools, while others used off-the-shelf options. Through meeting observations, pilot documents, and interviews with 12 of the pilot teams, CRPE researchers found that educators are still experimenting with and iterating on how best to use these tools. In some cases, educators saw early signs of impact on student learning and engagement. This brief offers a rare look inside the messy, creative process of early AI adoption in schools and classrooms. It shows why teachers might turn to AI tools, and what they hope to gain, including improvements to how students learn, connect, and thrive in school. [Funding provided by the Silicon Schools Fund.]