Raising Humans in an AI World

Some of the most important conversations about artificial intelligence are not happening in boardrooms and technology companies. They are happening around dinner tables, in classrooms and during the everyday interactions that shape childhood.

As both a mother and a communications professional working at the intersection of education, culture and emerging technology, I find myself thinking about those conversations more and more.

Whether it is helping with homework after a long day, answering an endless stream of questions in the back of the car, or simply finding ways to keep young minds engaged while balancing the demands of modern life, most parents understand the appeal of anything that promises to make learning easier, faster or more accessible. It is perhaps no surprise, then, that artificial intelligence is beginning to make its way into childhood.

Today, children can interact with AI-powered chatbots, ask questions of smart assistants and, increasingly, form relationships with AI companions designed to provide conversation, emotional support and entertainment. One recent example is Gabbo, an AI-powered companion toy that promises friendship, encouragement and endless positivity. Other AI companions claim to help children navigate school challenges, answer questions and even discuss their worries.

To many parents, this may sound like a welcome evolution of educational technology. Yet it also raises a question that reaches far beyond parenting and sits at the heart of a much broader discussion about education, development and society: what role should AI play in shaping the next generation?

The question caught my attention recently while reading Human Raised by Professor Dana Suskind, a surgeon and pediatrician at the University of Chicago. Her central argument is both compelling and timely. While artificial intelligence can be an incredibly valuable tool, it should never become a substitute for human connection, and that distinction feels increasingly important.

For all the benefits technology has brought into our lives, some of the most meaningful aspects of childhood have never thrived on convenience. Human relationships are messy. Friendships involve compromise. Families disagree. Children experience disappointment, frustration and rejection. Parents are imperfect. Conversations are interrupted. Siblings bicker. Plans change. Yet according to Suskind, these everyday moments are not obstacles to development; they are fundamental to it.

She describes childhood development as being built through a sophisticated combination of language, emotional attunement and social interaction. Eye contact, facial expressions, tone of voice, physical presence and even disagreement work together to help children develop empathy, resilience, emotional regulation and social understanding. The small frictions of everyday life help build the neural architecture that supports healthy relationships throughout adulthood.

What makes this particularly interesting in the age of AI is that many artificial companions are designed to remove friction altogether.

Unlike human relationships, they are endlessly patient, endlessly agreeable and endlessly available. They rarely challenge, rarely disagree and rarely require compromise. While that may make for a pleasant interaction, it raises important questions about what children learn when their most consistent conversations are with systems engineered to accommodate them rather than challenge them.

As someone who is passionate about the opportunities AI creates, I do not view this as an argument against technology. Quite the opposite.

Artificial intelligence has enormous potential to transform education. It can personalize learning, support accessibility, help students learn at their own pace and provide teachers with insights that would have been impossible just a few years ago. It can help unlock creativity, broaden access to information and equip young people with new ways to engage with the world around them.

At Ruder Finn Atteline, our work increasingly sits at the intersection of innovation, education, culture and communications. Through our Tech Lab and our growing focus on AI, we spend a great deal of time helping organizations understand not only the opportunities emerging technologies create, but also the implications they have for learning, development and the future workforce.

What continues to fascinate me is that, as technology becomes more capable, the qualities that make us human become even more valuable, not less.

That thought stayed with me following a recent ICCO podcast discussion with two of my colleagues about the future of our profession and the next generation of communicators. We spent considerable time discussing the skills that will matter most in an AI-enabled world and, interestingly, very few of them were technical.

The conversation centered around being inquisitive, empathy, creativity, critical thinking, judgement, relationship-building and emotional intelligence. These are the qualities that allow people to understand nuance, navigate complexity and connect meaningfully with others. They are also the qualities that artificial intelligence, for all its power, cannot fully replicate. The more I reflected on that discussion, the more I realized its connection to the childhood debate and the future of education. 

If the future workforce will increasingly rely on uniquely human abilities, then the experiences that develop those abilities become more valuable than ever. The friendships children build. The conflicts they resolve. The disappointments they navigate. The conversations they have around the dinner table. The encouragement they receive from parents, teachers and peers. These are not simply sentimental aspects of growing up. They are foundational experiences that help develop the very capabilities future professionals and communication will depend upon. Perhaps that is why I find the conversation around AI, childhood and education so fascinating.

With that said, I feel that the real challenge for education in the age of AI is not whether children have access to technology, but whether they have enough opportunities to develop the uniquely human qualities that technology cannot replicate.

Because while AI may help children find answers more quickly, it is the beautifully imperfect interactions of everyday life that teach them how to listen, empathize, collaborate, create and connect. And if those are the qualities that will define the next generation of leaders, educators, healthcare professionals and communicators, they may become more valuable than ever.

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