explAInED – Episode 011: AI is Smart-Dumb: Demystifying AI for Kids (and Adults) with Giselle Fuerte

Episode Summary:

In the latest episode of explAInED, we’re joined by Giselle Fuerte - adult learning architect, youth advocate, and founder of the interactive digital program, Being Human with AI. Giselle shares how she’s turning her focus to a critical group in the AI conversation: middle school students.

Giselle is helping kids and the adults around them understand what AI is, how it works, and how to stay safe and empowered while using it. She makes the case that AI is “smart-dumb” (a tool that mimics us at scale but can’t think or feel) and warns of the psychological and social dangers that come when kids confuse a chatbot’s persuasive output with emotional reality.

Giselle offers practical, accessible ways to demystify AI for learners of all ages, from teaching kids to spot manipulative engagement tactics and bias, to reframing AI as a co-creative tool, not a wizard behind the curtain. Join us for this engaging episode!

Resources

Being Human with AI