News / Insights
Deep Learning: Supporting Youth In the Age of AI
It's 2002, I am a senior with a major case of senioritis, trying to fill my proverbial cup during my last semester at college. I accepted an invite from a friend to attend a lecture to learn more about a popular topic at that time: New Media and Digital Art. As a child of the internet age, I was locked in and looking forward to learning from an MIT visiting scholar. What I didn't know at the time was that the professor was deeply involved in establishing the foundations for what we now call A.I., or Artificial Intelligence. Instead of a 90-minute lecture on digital art, the professor introduced me to ideas and concepts that emerged from the MIT Media Lab; ideas like "thinking machines" and "deep learning" robots that simulate human emotions.
Over 20 years later, I reflect back on how the energy shifted in the room as the professor talked about how Artificial Intelligence would impact our perspective on machines and their capabilities. I left that lecture cautious but intrigued about what I learned and, like others in that class, uncertain about what the future held for this new seismic discovery.
What that MIT professor described in 2002 is no longer a theory. It is the infrastructure of daily life and, increasingly, the environment in which today's young people are growing up.
Youth development organizations, like nearly every other sector of the workforce, have been told that AI will transform how they work. And like professionals in many fields, some are pushing back. A 2026 survey of nearly 14,000 workers across 19 countries found that while regular AI use increased by 13% in 2025, workers' confidence in the technology's usefulness dropped 18%. A major study of nearly 6,000 executives across four countries found that more than 89% reported no change in productivity from AI, and more than 90% saw no impact on employment, even as dollars surpassing the billions continue to flood the top AI companies.
A February 2026 Pew Research Center survey of U.S. teens ages 13–17 offers one of the most current snapshots we have. More than half of teens report using chatbots to search for information (57%) or get help with schoolwork (54%), while 47% say they use them for fun or entertainment. Sixteen percent of teens say they have used chatbots to have casual conversations, and 12% say they've turned to these tools for emotional support or advice. (MIT Technology Review)
Teens, for their part, tend to view AI's impact on their own lives more positively than negatively with 36% expecting a positive personal impact over the next 20 years, compared to 15% who expect a negative one. But they are more skeptical about AI's effect on society, with 26% anticipating a negative societal impact. Fears about overreliance, erosion of critical thinking, job displacement, and the spread of misinformation and environmental impact have been identified as top concerns for teens." (MIT Technology Review)
For some youth development professionals, there is skepticism along with the promise of field-level progress. As the mandate to adopt AI or be left behind permeates our feeds, we must wonder: Is AI a tool in support of equity, or does it further and exacerbate historic inequities? Does it strengthen the relationships at the heart of our work, or slowly erode them? When the populations we serve are at-risk youth and marginalized communities, the stakes of getting this wrong are too high to experiment with. If AI supports the promulgation of ideas about "deep learning," shouldn't youth development professionals who have expertise in deep learning as well as emotional intelligence lead the way in determining how and when to use it?
As we wait for the answers to these questions, what we do know is that youth professionals offer a unique and invaluable perspective on how AI can support young people's intellectual and personal growth in creative and human-centered ways. The powers that be should assume, like the machines they train, the edict of "deep learning" and trust practitioners as they navigate the age of AI in support of the true goal of any technology: improving society for all.
AI Resources & Funding Opportunities for Youth Development
Education Focused AI Resources:
Common Sense Media AI Literacy Lessons
RAISE: Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education
Funding: Initiative on AI and Education Spencer has designated additional funding specifically for research at the intersection of AI and education, channeled through several of its grant programs including Vision Grants, Racial Equity Grants, and Small and Large Research Grants. The initiative focuses on equitable AI use, culturally relevant tools, and how AI can support — or hinder — learning in underserved communities. It welcomes proposals from researchers, practitioners, and community-based organizations working across all levels of education.