Being Young in the Age of AI
It’s a weird time to be young. History has never moved this fast. While our grandparents could picture our parents’ futures, we’re not sure we can even see how the next decade will look. How do we live with a future that feels both mindblowing and uncertain?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the heart of this progress. We use it daily. We see it in our classrooms and jobs. We hear that it could build a utopia or a dystopia — maybe both. Frankly, we’re scared. There are dark clouds on the horizon and no shelter immediately in sight. But we’re also incredibly excited. AI can democratize and enable, and is already pushing the boundaries for what is possible. So how can young people prepare for what’s next?
Why we hosted CTRL + Future: A youth-led convening on Responsible AI
We brought together members from AI Consensus, Decifer Studio, Encode, Innovation for Everyone, and Young People’s Alliance for a three-day forum on Responsible AI. We focused on three main topics: AI Governance, AI and the Future of Work, and AI and Human Connection. Our goals were simple: to understand AI’s challenges and opportunities — and to support youth leaders working on AI.
Our participants came from 12 countries around the world, ranging from 9 to 35 years old. Some had years of corporate experience in the field, while others were just getting started. The interest in AI was broad appeal, and we challenged ourselves to keep the complexities and nuances of this technology accessible to a diverse, global audience.
From the start, we felt the energy of everyone there. Even as organizers who spend a lot of our days reading and writing about AI issues, we were excitedly pulling up the chat to keep up with the roaring stream of comments. We had planned CTRL + Future as a professional event, but it also became a personal one — a place to name what keeps us up at night, what we think others get wrong, and what gives us hope and passion.
Ctrl + Future: Youth Forum For Responsible AI
Graphic recording by Mike Pettito studiopettito.com
Youth and Responsible AI: What we’re learning
We can speculate about how the future might unfold, but in contemplating how that future should unfold, we encountered deeper philosophical questions about the value of human connection, the extent of our agency over our lives, the distribution of power, and what truly matters to us.
Hot takes from the opening panel
We often hear people discussing “artificial intelligence.” But how much of the conversation at centers the on the reality of being human? We opened with a panel with a series of hot takes on how AI will impact our future. Even among experts, there was much uncertainty and useful disagreement.
Jiore Craig: AI could help fix the attention economy.
Tara Mandrekar: Schools are unprepared for AI’s impacts on youth learning, agency, and career readiness.
Alison Lee: We can no longer take for granted that people will choose human relationships over AI ones. So, if we think human relationships are still worth protecting, we’ll need to be prepared to answer and defend: What are the unique value propositions that human relationships bring that AI can never replace, no matter how good it gets?
David Jay: There are limits to AI’s growth and how it can facilitate human connection.
AI governance needs youth voice
We found as many questions as answers. Who sets the rules? What really matters to us? If AI will shape our lives, then young people must shape AI governance. That means youth input in standards, product decisions, and policy from the start.
AI and the future of work for young people
How can we prepare for a job that doesn’t exist yet? What choices today will help our future selves? We kept coming back to this: work with AI, not against it. Build flexible skills. Learn to ask better questions. Practice good judgment, collaboration, and ethics — these are the human edges that AI tools can’t replace.
Human connection in the age of AI
Trust came up again and again: in the information we consume online, in our understanding of AI capabilities, in our institutions, and in each other. Technologies can both erode and build trust—simultaneously feeding us inflammatory, attention-grabbing material and connecting us to one another. Whether AI tears us apart or brings us together ultimately depends on our goals and on how we create the spaces to connect.
During our session on human connection, we asked participants to share their happiest memories. The answers came back loud and clear: most involved other people. In our opening session, we asked, “Where should change around AI come from?” The answer was also clear: from the people, from youth, from those most affected.
What participants told us: Concerns and hopes
We asked how we could focus on what matters to us. We heard: by building community spaces to connect with one another, by asking ourselves the hard questions, and by not being defined by others’ perceptions.
When we asked participants how AI might shape their future, they named real risks: bias, energy consumption, job disruption, isolation, and cognitive offloading. Yet there was just as much optimism named: increased accessibility, self-understanding, and democratized information.
In-person in New York: Imagining an equitable AI future
We concluded the event in Pinterest’s NYC office, blocks from where 300 renowned scientists and leaders had recently called for “red lines” on AI. We asked participants to picture the AI future they wanted to see. We saw children relaxing in fields of lush green grass, AI-powered scientific discovery, and intertwined hands lifting each other up — a future where access and equity are built in.
Most importantly, we saw each other in person. We were able to shake hands and embrace. It was a relief to meet people who care as much as we do.
"We are honored to have our New York office and the Pinterest platform serve as an inspiring backdrop for young people who are shaping the conversation around the future of AI. Their voices and leadership are essential to building an AI-driven world that is responsible, inclusive, and supportive of our collective well-being.”
Where we go from here
We discussed how we can play larger roles in shaping AI’s impact and how we can prepare ourselves to thrive. A remark Jiore made about ‘dark hope’ stayed with us.
“[The old way] is not possible anymore, so once you let that go, you have some freedom, and then imagining how you can contribute to what’s coming next, and that’s where I find the hope.”
AI is not just in the future; it’s here. On our phones. In our relationships. Inside our institutions, and perhaps most importantly, in our heads. That’s why we need more honest conversations about its impact, more young people shaping what comes next, and more spaces that protect our humanity.
We’re told to worry that AI “beats” humans on metric after metric, as if scoring high on some standardized measure of intelligence is what gives our lives meaning. Yes, we need to be more ingenious and determined. We also need room to make mistakes, to be imperfect, to be scared. These are the conditions that allow us to build trust — and trust fuels human flourishing, democracy, and hope for a better future.
Two truths can live together. It’s never felt harder to be young. It’s never held more possibilities. The future is uncertain, and we still have agency. The story of AI won’t just be written in labs or halls of Congress. It will be written in the questions we ask, the choices we make, and the communities we build. If you remember one thing, let it be this: think about AI, and talk about it with friends, classmates, coworkers, and family. The more we talk, the clearer it is that this story isn’t just about technology. It’s about being human, together.
