19 Sep Teens, AI, and Being Human
by Kalika Yap
The State of the School is one of the most grounding HW traditions of the year.
It’s a moment for our community to come together, reflect, and hear from our leadership about what lies ahead.
What stood out most to me, as someone who is deeply interested in wellness and technology, was the conversation about artificial intelligence and what it means for our teens and how we can help them.
Dan Alig: What They’re Not Telling Us
HW Chief Information Officer Dan Alig shared research showing that while students often use AI for homework, the second most common use is companionship.
There’s a lot of research that we’re seeing when we go to technology conferences, that we talk to colleagues at other independents who talk to AI—it’s what they’re not telling us.
And you can see they’re using it for homework, but the next largest category is a little concerning: they’re using it for companionship, and they don’t talk to us about it much.
He described a moment that brought this into focus:
I was putting together the slide to show what tools students are using, and a student walked up to the help desk. I had a couple of these websites up on my screen, and they immediately lit up and said,
‘You use character.ai? That’s so cool. I love talking…’
They were passionate about their relationships with these chatbots.
For context, character.ai is a platform where teens can chat with AI personalities. These might be fictional characters, celebrities, or completely invented companions.
For many students, it feels like a friend: always available, always listening, never judging.
Dan added another reminder:
If we’re giving them access to a technology that they see as a friend, as a counselor, then we need to be really engaged in that conversation.
We need your partnership.
He stressed that AI is moving quickly:
It’s the community going through this together. It’s changing aggressively fast. And it’s really all of us together that are going to get through this and understand how it’s impacting our students.
His point was clear. If students are confiding in AI but not telling us, we need to be even more attentive, present, and curious as parents and educators.
Maggie Thompson: Keeping the Human in the Loop
Maggie Thompson, Associate Director of Teaching and Learning, described Harvard-Westlake’s thoughtful approach to AI.
The human starts the loop, checks in with AI, changes, responds, and then always comes back. At the end, the human is there. Anything is owned by the human, it is their product.
She explained that while AI may change the form of assignments, it does not change the purpose. Teachers remain focused on their learning goals—what they want students to know, understand, and be able to do.
That might mean an essay becomes an oral argument. Or it might be creating a chatbot in the voice of a character from literature to show understanding of the text.
Maggie also reflected on research from the International Society for Technology in Education:
The International Society for Technology and Education put out their portrait of an AI-ready graduate. And the portrait of a graduate asks:
what are the durable skills that you are hoping students will leave with?
The thing that struck me most was that prompt engineering wasn’t there.
Coding wasn’t there.
What was there was innovator, storyteller, creator, ideator.
She added that these skills are already central to a Harvard-Westlake education and will continue to be.
AI can be used to enhance where appropriate, but the heart of learning will remain human connection.
Wouldn’t it be great if students could have an activity that was a little more technology guided so that teachers could conference with each individual student about their assessment?
What are those ways that we can take the advantages of this technology to make space for the relationships that are necessary for learning?
Maggie also shared the four guiding principles shaping Harvard-Westlake’s use of AI:
AI at Harvard-Westlake
- Prioritize Human Connection
- Embrace Creativity and Innovation
- Engage Ethically
- Use Technology Mindfully
These principles remind us that while AI may offer new tools, the foundation of teaching and learning will always rest on relationships, integrity, and creativity.
Laura Ross: Redesigning for Growth
Head of School Laura Ross emphasized the need to adapt with care.
It’s our job to redesign what we do so that the cognitive growth is happening.
Students need to develop their brains in ways that allow them to become storytellers, innovators, creators. If we don’t redesign what we do and how we do it, our students will resign—and it will stop us from being the excellent school we’ve always been.
Her words were a reminder that while technology may evolve quickly, the human mind and spirit must remain at the center of learning.
Rick Commons: A Reminder from China
Earlier in the event, President Rick Commons shared a reflection from his visit to China last year.
He met Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, who is now focusing his time to building a school.
Jack Ma’s advice?
You must always be pointed at the ultimate goal: humans teaching humans how to be more human.
Rick’s reflection tied the conversation back to what matters most. AI may change the tools we use, but it cannot change the purpose of education—to guide young people toward compassion, creativity, and humanity.
A Mindful Path Forward
This year’s State of the School reminded us that while AI is advancing quickly, the deeper call of education and of parenting remains steady.
Our work is to help our children become more fully themselves and more deeply connected to others.
Mindfulness gives us a way to stay grounded in that call. It teaches us to pause, to listen, and to create the kind of presence that no technology can replace.
3 Questions to Ask Your Teen About AI
- What do you enjoy most about your conversations with AI?
- How do you feel afterward—more connected, curious, or still wanting more?
- Who in your life could you share those same thoughts with?
RECOMMENDED BOOK
10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People by David Yeager
This was the Harvard-Westlake Admin summer reading.