AI Is Here. Now, How Do We Use It?

Written By Marc Townsend

In a previous newsletter, I wrote about how artificial intelligence (AI) is our modern new West frontier, wide open, and more so than the old West. In many ways, the use of this new technology is expanding faster than our ability to keep up with it. With that speed, it’s natural to be a little fearful of what this AI frontier will look like down the line.

Though, the reality is we’re already there.

AI is already part of daily life:

From movie picks to maps, translation to spellcheck, AI operates in the background of tools families use every day. Recent analysis from Stanford University Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) (see https://hai.stanford.edu/ai-index/2025-ai-index-report), show around three-quarters of organizations report using AI. That’s a dramatic increase from the prior year, reflecting how quickly these systems are being embedded into everyday services.

With the rise in AI use, UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, promotes teachers being at the forefront of teaching students how to use AI for good. (see https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/use-ai-education-deciding-future-we-want):

“At UNESCO, we strongly advocate that human teachers should largely steer the uses of AI in classrooms, ensuring that it aligns with pedagogical goals and ethical standards.” — UNESCO

AI is a helper but needs to be guided by people. And this applies at home, at school, and in careers students may pursue.

Here are three areas where AI shows up right now:

1.At home

• Recommendations: Streaming and shopping apps look for statistical patterns (your past views, items like what you liked) to suggest the next thing you’ll enjoy.

• Assistants & accessibility: Voice recognition, live translation, and computer-vision features help families communicate, organize, and access content more easily, including features that read image descriptions aloud.

• Safety filters: Email and social platforms use classifiers to flag spam or abuse, so you see less of it.

2. In school and learning tools

AI can summarize readings, generate practice questions, or suggest examples useful for review, not replacement. Adaptive platforms adjust difficulty in real time to keep students challenged but not overwhelmed. And teachers use AI to craft rubrics, differentiate materials, or analyze anonymized trends so they can spend more time mentoring. 

3. In work and careers

Across healthcare imaging, cybersecurity, climate modeling, robotics, finance, and manufacturing, AI supports professionals by spotting patterns faster than people can alone. 

Use AI to Rethink, not Replace

Students should use AI to explore ideas, practice skills, and check understanding—while keeping original thinking at the center. Research and industry reviews find the best results when AI complements rather than substitutes. 

Erik Brynjolfsson is a senior fellow at Stanford University who helped assist in the HAI study. He says: “If you simply pave the cow paths and put the same technologies on top of the old way of working, you don’t really get the business benefits.” 

Whether personal or business, use new AI tools to rethink tasks, not just speed up old ones.

Be Transparent and Fair

When AI assists, say so. Cite your sources, mark AI-assisted sections, and use content you have rights to. International guidance stresses fairness and inclusion; families and schools should watch for biased outputs and document how they checked results.

Keep Context and Privacy in Mind

Avoid uploading personal data (names, IDs, private chats, school documents) into tools. Ask simple questions before using any app: What data does it learn from? Who can see it? Could I delete it? Surveys and education briefs reveal parents are favoring teaching responsible AI use—skills and safeguards — over blanket bans.

So then, with all this AI momentum, what’s changing fast and what isn’t?

Adoption and investment are rising. Companies continue weaving AI into marketing, customer service, software, and operations, which is why families are seeing smarter features in everyday apps.

Evaluation is catching up: Schools and employers are building rules for disclosure, accuracy checks, and secure data handling—practical steps that reduce errors and bias.

Foundations remain the same: strong reading, math, ethics, and communication skills still matter most. AI rewards students who can frame good questions, evaluate evidence, and explain results clearly—core STEM habits that never go out of style.

Here’s another gem gleaned from the UNESCO research: (https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/first-ever-consensus-artificial-intelligence-and-education-published-unesco):

“AI technologies in education should be purposed to enhance human capacities and protect human rights for effective human-machine collaboration in life, learning and work.” — UNESCO Consensus on AI and Education

Bottom line for Pink Space Theory kids and families

AI is here; it’s useful, and it’s most powerful when paired with human curiosity and judgment. Treat it like a microscope. Like a scope, good for seeing patterns you might miss, but you still need to interpret what you see. Keep learning visible. Cite sources, note where AI helped here and there, and reflect on what AI got right (and wrong). This approach builds confidence, academic integrity, and career-ready thinking.

Visit available online resources to begin learning or to increase skills. Here are several free resources you may find useful:

Most of all, learn and enjoy. The future is here and is wide open. Go west and do something wonderful!

About the Author

Marc has been a Newsletter Content Contributor with Pink Space Theory since March 2023. Based in Northern California, he enjoys using his creativity to craft engaging STEAM articles that educate and inspire the families we serve. With a passion for storytelling and a keen interest in STEAM education, Marc helps make complex concepts accessible and exciting for young learners.

Marc Townsend
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