Spotlight Session: Human Connection in the Age of AI

AI is rapidly becoming the new front door for help. Students text chatbots for college and career advice. Jobseekers rehearse interviews with digital coaches. Young people turn to AI “companions” when human help feels scarce or stigmatized. These tools promise democratized support—but they also risk replacing connection with simulation, offering comfort without community. This session will share insights from research led by the Clayton Christensen Institute to build pro-social edtech tools—tools intentionally designed to strengthen, not supplant, human networks, and to build students' confidence reaching out to adults and peers for help. Attendees will learn about promising prosocial features and functionalities, what to look for when evaluating tools for prosocial designs, and how to safeguard and scale human connection in the age of AI.