There is a lot of information in the news about AI and how it is harming children. Frequently, we see or hear news stories about a child or teen harming themselves or committing suicide because AI encouraged them to do it.

Those stories may leave us feeling one of four ways:

1. Parents are at the mercy of the big tech companies

2. There is little we can do to protect our children

3. We need to seal our children in a box until they’re 20

4. We need to do something to guide them, but what?!

Those feelings are valid, but the fourth choice is the best stance to take. Our children don’t need us to leave them in a free for all with AI, but locking them away from it until they graduate from college is also not a wise choice. They will need to use AI in the workforce of tomorrow or risk falling behind.

The AI Awareness Hub will help you answer the “but what?!” question in option four.

Hi, I’m Tara L. Cole…

As a parent of three teen and preteen boys, I’m in the thick of it with you. I’m currently monitoring their phones, games, and computers. I want to keep my teens safe, but AI is sneaking in everywhere with little to no guardrails or restrictions!

On the other hand, I’m an educator at Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology, and my job as an educator and writing instructor is to train and prepare my students for the workforce of tomorrow. For the last 2-3 years, educators, myself included, have been running around with our hair on fire because we didn’t know what to do. We suspected that our students were starting to use AI to cheat, but how were we to monitor it? That tide is beginning to change rapidly. In Freshman Composition and Technical Writing classes, I am starting to include lessons on AI literacy, ethics, and prompting in my courses.

Then I also wear the hat of an author. My books Abide and Everyday Prayers for the School Year are about deepening our families’ relationships with God, primarily through prayer and the Bible. Now more than ever, our families need to know what is true and have a firm foundation in all the uncertainty that is coming.

These are the reasons why I started AI Awareness Hub. As a parent, I understand. As an author, I see the need for a firm foundation. As an educator, I have access to some of the best and most up-to-date information available, and I want to share it with you! Other parents who needed to know this information yesterday.