AI tools are reshaping how we learn, create, and communicate but there’s one thing they can’t replace: essential human skills. As parents, educators, and leaders, it’s critical to prepare the next generation not just to use AI, but to thrive alongside it with discernment, responsibility, and emotional intelligence.
Here are four foundational skills every child (and adult) needs to develop in the AI era, and how you can begin teaching them today.
1. Fact-Checking in the Age of AI
With AI-generated content spreading across platforms, learning how to verify information is non-negotiable. From text to images, generative tools can produce highly realistic—but false—content. This is called hallucinations and while they are not malicious intent, they can be misleading and result in harmful behavior. These stats show the need for media literacy.
- A recent study showed that 72% of Americans believe media literacy is crucial for countering disinformation.
- Targeted training improves people’s ability to spot false news, with 73.3% successfully identifying fake content and pledging not to share it.
- However, when AI fact-checkers are used without context, they can reduce trust—even when correct—highlighting the importance of human judgment.
How to teach it:
Play the “Real or Fake” game using a mix of AI-generated and human-created headlines, images, or stories. Teach learners how to cross-reference multiple sources, check the author’s credentials, and identify signs of trustworthy information. Ask: Who made this? Why? And what do other sources say?
2. Creating Family AI Usage Guidelines
Not all tasks are created equal and not all tasks should be handed over to AI. That’s why it’s important to establish boundaries around how and when AI can be used in your home or classroom. Here are two important things to note:
- The U.S. Department of Education encourages keeping a “human in the loop”—ensuring AI supports, but doesn’t replace, human oversight. This document lays out the importance and benefits of having human oversight of AI particularly in education.
- While the number of qualified teachers in the United States declining teachers often look for ways to maximize time and resources. Teachers who regularly use AI tools reclaim an average of 5.9 hours per week, giving them time back to focus on what matters most however, any material generated must be thoroughly checked for accuracy.
How to teach it:
Draft a family or class AI usage agreement. Define which tasks are “human only” (like doing homework, emotional conversations, or storytelling), “human-led with AI support” (like brainstorming or editing), and “AI-led with human review” (like generating images or content outlines). This empowers children to build a healthy relationship with AI as a tool and not as a crutch.
3. Privacy Literacy in a Digital World
With kids using AI tools in school and at home, privacy education must go beyond “don’t post your address online.” 70% of high school students report using AI. Use is both educational and recreational as they discover fun ways to utilize the technology.
A report from Walton Family Foundation reports only 28% say their school clearly allows the student use of AI. Nearly half say there’s no policy or they’re unsure. With the gap between the number of students using AI and the number of schools with active guidance around the technology the need for governance and safety education is clear.
How to teach it:
Use three buckets:
- Always private: Full name, home address, phone number, passwords, biometrics.
- Sometimes private: School ID numbers, test answers, schedules.
- Not private: Favorite colors, character names, hobbies.
Have regular check-ins on what’s safe to share, and model how to adjust privacy settings and ask questions when something feels off.
4. Using AI Effectively and Ethically
AI isn’t just for chatbots it can now build websites, create custom apps, generate illustrations, and even mimic voice and video. But with this power comes responsibility. Here are some statistics on the use and impact of AI tools on students.
- While 25% of teachers say AI tools do more harm than good, another 32% believe the benefits and drawbacks are equal—indicating a need for better training and boundaries.
- 63% of teachers reported students getting in trouble for using AI to cheat, showing that without guidance, misuse is likely.
- Research shows that increasing students’ media literacy (understanding how content is created and shared) is more effective for AI acceptance than technical knowledge alone.
How to teach it:
Explore hands-on projects like creating a custom GPT chatbot to answer common questions or designing a website using AI tools—with clear expectations around human review. Pair this with conversations about ethics, ownership, and integrity.
Here’s the Thing…
AI is here to stay, but it doesn’t have to replace our human strengths. By teaching fact-checking, setting clear boundaries, protecting privacy, and developing ethical AI use habits, we equip the next generation to lead with wisdom, not just code.
LeeAnah James 