Navigating AI with Kids: Honest Dialogue and Human Connection

🤖 AI Can Be Powerful. But It Can’t Replace Being Human. What happens when AI and social media become so engaging that they start taking the place of real human connection? In this Digital Vanguard video, Will Leever, PsyD, pediatric psychologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, shares a powerful reminder: AI can supplement our lives, but it shouldn’t replace the experiences children need to grow. Making friends. Navigating disagreements. Experiencing discomfort. Playing. Connecting. Learning how to handle the messy parts of relationships. These are the experiences that help children develop into healthy, functioning adults. At Unite for Safe Social Media, we believe technology should support children’s well-being—not replace the human connection they need most. 🎥 Watch Will’s full insight and join Unite in creating a healthier digital future for children and families. #UniteForSafeSocialMedia #DigitalVanguards #AIandKids #DigitalWellbeing #KidsAndTechnology #DigitalParenting #OnlineSafety #HumanConnection

Every Community Health Worker I've met carries something invaluable: real relationships, lived experience, and boots-on-the-ground wisdom about what families actually need. That's exactly why CHWs are positioned to lead in their communities, not just follow tools. AI is entering healthcare rapidly. But it works best when people like you shape how it's used, not the other way around. This month I'm working with CHWs across five counties to explore AI literacy in a way that honors their expertise first. Not 'here's what AI can do,' but 'how can AI support the work you're already doing brilliantly?' Your voice matters in this conversation. What's one workflow in your daily work where better tools would make your life easier? #CommunityHealth #AILiteracy #CHW #HealthcareInnovation

SENIORS EMBRACING AI: START WITH PURPOSE 💜How do we encourage more seniors to embrace AI? The answer may be simpler than we think: Give it purposeful meaning .Older adults dont need technology introduced simply because its new. They need to understand how it connects to what already matters in their lives: 💜 Better understanding of health and wellness 💜 Staying socially connected 💜 Greater independence and confidence 💜 Learning, creativity and even gaming 💜 Preserving stories, memories and lived wisdomIn this conversation, we explore why engaging elders with AI must begin with relevance—not technology. When an elder can see, This can help me understand my health, This can help me stay connected, or This can help me preserve something for my grandchildren, AI stops being an abstract idea. It becomes a tool with purpose. Be sure to watch the video below and listen to what my dear Auntie Pamela Shields has to say about why making AI relevant to seniors so important and how she and her community are making this an everyday reality. Thats what The Wisdom Keepers is about: helping elders engage with emerging technology in ways that support how they live, connect, learn and pass their wisdom forward. Live Well. Stay Connected. Pass It Forward. 👉 Subscribe and join the community:https://lnkd.in/eg2ZnPUj 💜 Subscribe to The Wisdom Keepers and join a movement to preserve our living libraries. 👉 Join the movement: https://lnkd.in/etHXkEUE, to receive your foundational prompt to get started. #TheWisdomKeepers #SeniorsAndAI #AIForGood #AfricanAIAuntie #HealthyAging #DigitalInclusion #OlderAdults #ArtificialIntelligence

SocialWise is a new AI-enhanced tool being built to help autistic young adults practice real-life communication and relationship skills — things like handling conflict, giving feedback, or navigating tricky social situations — in a low-pressure space. We're looking for autistic young adults (aged 18-28) to help shape it as it's built. Advisors will meet roughly once a month to weigh in on things like how the AI should behave, what feels authentic and affirming, and how to keep the tool safe and transparent. Early on, that might mean helping create sample scenarios; later, it means reviewing real interactions and flagging what's working (or isn't) as the tool is tested. It's a flexible, meaningful way to make sure SocialWise is actually built by and for the autistic community — and advisors receive a stipend at the end of the project. Complete the application to apply https://lnkd.in/gvKiccdV

Really exciting to see this come to life with PSS. We built Bridge Social to make it easier for people to connect with the organizations already there to support them, using something as simple as texting the same number they already know. PSS has been an incredible partner in bringing that vision to life across their programs in New York City. For us, it’s about making that first interaction easier and helping people stay connected to the services and staff there to support them. It was great getting to share The Bridge with so many people this week and see it in action.

Introducing The Bridge! Yesterday, PSS joined forces with our friends at Bridge Social to unveil The Bridge, our new AI-powered texting service designed to make it easier for older adults and other PSS clients to connect with the information, programs and support they need. From checking the day’s lunch menu at an Older Adult Center to signing up for a group trip or scheduling an appointment with a social worker, The Bridge puts PSS services right at our clients’ fingertips—while helping our staff spend more time focused on the people who need their personal support. We were thrilled to share this exciting new tool with so many partners and friends, including AARP New York, Rutgers University, the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA), NYC Department for the Aging, and many others who joined us to see The Bridge in action, hear from PSS staff, and try it out for themselves. Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate with us and to everyone who helped make The Bridge possible. We’re excited to see where this new way of connecting takes us! #PSS #TheBridge #Aging #AI #AgeTech #OlderAdults #Innovation #TechnologyForGood #NYC

Grateful to have participated in this cross-sectoral meeting of PSS in #NYC on their tech-forward work that is pioneering new opportunities to make aging services more accessible, seamless, and responsive. Leaders, team members, and partners reflected on their adoption of Bridge Social, an AI-based platform that aims to make connecting with aging resources “as easy as texting a friend.” I was glad to have had the opportunity to celebrate and learn more about PSS’s innovation journey, which already has been helpful for introducing this technology to age-friendly leaders in New Jersey. There is much to continue to learn with and from each other as we co-create a better future for aging in our communities - from a “here and now” text to longer-term, systems-wide structural change.

57% of teens say something they saw on social media influenced a decision they made around their health. Although that statistic didn't surprise me, it drives home how young people need access to trustworthy sources of health information. New research from my peers at NORC at the University of Chicago delves into how digital information, from social media to AI chatbots, is already shaping the decisions young people make about their health.

AI tools should not replace people. They should support how people think. Generative AI is changing accommodation conversations. Recent 2026 figures show requests have risen to 33%, up from 24% in 2024, and 78% of neurodivergent workers use AI to support executive function. That’s good news for employers. When employees arrive with clearer information about their rights, needs, and possible solutions, HR has a more direct path from request to support. A timely, thoughtful accommodation can be a low-cost way to retain talent and help people contribute at their best. Leaders can make that path easier: explain how to request support, respond promptly, explore options collaboratively, protect privacy, and follow through. Psychological safety means people can ask for what they need without having to prove their worth first. AI should never replace human potential. It should remove the barriers that keep human potential from being seen. For people who use AI to keep details organized and working memory available for judgment, learn more about HeyPocket: https://lnkd.in/ePBCSYe9 Explore practical savings through Friends Savings Network: https://lnkd.in/eXpBth27 At Dr. Disruptor, we help people with invisible disabilities turn unique challenges into sources of strength, innovation, and resilience. Learn more at www.drdisruptor.org and www.drdisruptors.com. Build a faster, more inclusive path from request to support. #InclusiveWorkplaces #WorkplaceAccommodations #InvisibleDisabilities #Neurodiversity Removing barriers. Revealing potential. Because the future belongs to everyone.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the intersection of neuroinclusion and data & systems. Which is a fancy way of saying: most of the systems we build still assume everyone has the same operating system. Neurodivergent people (ADHD, autism, dyslexia, the whole chaotic spectrum) process information differently. We spot patterns other people miss. We also occasionally short-circuit when the lighting is wrong or the instructions were written by someone who has never met a human brain. Yet the tools, workflows, dashboards and data pipelines we design still act like there’s one “default” way of thinking. Like the rest of us are just glitchy prototype humans who need to try harder. That gap is both deeply irritating and full of opportunity. Because when you actually design data systems with neuroinclusion in mind, you don’t just make them more accessible. You often end up with clearer structures, better documentation, more flexible interfaces, and insights that a narrower, more “normal” design would have completely missed. I’m genuinely interested in this space: How do we build data pipelines, analytics tools and information systems that work with different cognitive styles instead of against them? What does proper inclusive systems thinking actually look like when it’s not just a buzzword on a slide deck? How the hell do we measure and improve neuroinclusion in the things we ship? If you're struggling with inaccessible data tools, or systems that quietly exclude half the population, I’d love to connect and compare notes. Curious to hear how others are thinking about this. #Neuroinclusion #Neurodiversity #Data #SystemsThinking #InclusiveDesign #Accessibility