Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming education, introducing powerful tools that can create lesson plans, grade papers, and personalize learning. However, this technological revolution is happening far faster than the training required for educators to use AI responsibly and ethically. Many teachers have little to no formal instruction on how AI works, its biases, or its limitations, leading to risks such as unfair grading, misinformation, privacy violations, and emotional harm. The core issue is a systemic lag between the deployment of AI tools and the preparation of educators to manage them effectively. Schools are often underfunded for meaningful professional development, and teacher education programs have not caught up with the necessary curriculum changes to include AI literacy and ethics. Highlights 🤖 AI is transforming education by streamlining lesson planning, grading, and personalized learning. ⚠️ Lack of teacher training in AI ethics leads to risks of bias, misinformation, and unfair grading. 🔍 AI tools can unintentionally penalize students from diverse backgrounds due to biased training data. 🔒 Student privacy is at risk as AI tools collect and store sensitive data without oversight. 🧠 True AI literacy includes understanding AI’s workings, usage, and ethical evaluation. 📚 Schools need deep, ongoing professional development, not just one-off workshops. 🤝 Transparent AI governance with teacher, parent, and student involvement is essential for trust. Key Insights 🤖 Rapid AI Integration vs. Slow Educational Adaptation: The pace of AI development far outstrips the speed at which schools can adapt. Tech companies iterate quickly, whereas educational institutions are bogged down by bureaucratic processes and funding challenges. This mismatch creates a dangerous gap where teachers are expected to use AI tools they don’t fully understand, increasing risks of misuse and harm. ⚖️ Ethics Must Be Central, Not Peripheral: AI ethics cannot be treated as an optional add-on; it needs to be integrated into every conversation about AI from the outset. Without ethical training, educators may unknowingly reinforce biases or fail to recognize harmful outputs from AI tools. 📉 Bias in AI Grading Tools Can Undermine Equity: AI grading systems trained predominantly on essays from privileged students risk penalizing different linguistic or cultural expressions common among marginalized students. Such biases can lower grades unfairly, damage student confidence, and exacerbate educational inequities. 🔐 Student Privacy is a Growing Concern: Many AI tools marketed as free or low-cost actually collect vast amounts of student data, often without transparent policies or adequate protections. This creates vulnerabilities to data breaches and misuse of personal information. 🧩 Teacher Preparation Programs Are Not Keeping Up: Universities that train teachers have yet to fully integrate AI literacy and ethics into their core curricula. Many new teachers enter classrooms unprepared for the realities of AI tools, resulting in a workforce that is ill-equipped to manage new challenges. 📊 Governance and Transparency Build Trust: Decisions about adopting AI tools within schools are often made behind closed doors by a few administrators, leading to a lack of accountability. Establishing AI review committees with diverse stakeholders—teachers, parents, students—can democratize decision-making, ensure rigorous vetting of tools, and foster community trust. 🚀 A Coordinated Systems Approach is Essential: The challenges posed by AI in education are too complex for any one group to solve alone. Policymakers must allocate adequate funding for AI ethics training, universities need to modernize curricula, parents must stay engaged and advocate for safe AI use, and school leaders must prioritize ethics in budgeting and governance. #AIinEducation #AIEthics #K12 #TeacherPD OUTLINE: 00:00:00 - The Gap Between the Tool and the Training 00:01:02 - When Good Tech Goes Wrong 00:03:01 - Why We're Playing Catch-Up 00:05:10 - Building the Ethical Guardrails 00:07:18 - The Time to Act Is Now

Abstract: Artificial intelligence is rapidly entering K–12 classrooms worldwide, yet most educators lack formal training in AI—and even fewer have received instruction in AI ethics. Emerging evidence suggests that approximately two-thirds of teachers have no formal AI preparation, while those who do receive training typically encounter tool-focused, technical instruction rather than comprehensive ethics education. Meanwhile, government mandates requiring AI instruction are accelerating, and technology companies are scaling products with unprecedented speed. This disconnect leaves teachers, families, and students vulnerable to documented harms, including AI-related psychological distress. This article examines the current landscape of AI readiness in schools, analyzes organizational and individual consequences of the ethics training gap, and presents evidence-based interventions—from educator capability building and transparent governance frameworks to cross-sector partnerships and ethical curriculum design. Drawing on established research in organizational learning, educational technology adoption, and professional development, the article offers a roadmap for school leaders, policymakers, and technology companies committed to building sustainable, human-centered AI ecosystems in education.

In this HCI Webinar, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Chris Wong about how nonprofit leaders can engage and develop employees , despite a lack of resources. Chris Wong is a licensed therapist, executive coach, and co-host of The Art and Science of Difficult Conversations—a podcast for people who want to lead with more clarity, confidence, and courage... by leaning into the hard conversations.  With over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit and healthcare sectors, Chris specializes in helping purpose-driven leaders navigate messy transitions, fix dysfunctional teams, and lead culture change that actually sticks. He’s worked as a therapist, built leadership programs from scratch, and coached hundreds of leaders who were brought in to “turn things around” under pressure. Chris lives outside Boston with his wife and two kids, serves on multiple nonprofit boards, and runs Leadership Potential, where he coaches new nonprofit executives to lead through chaos and build high-performing, values-aligned teams.

Abstract: Organizations increasingly recognize that workforce capability development extends beyond technical skills acquisition to encompass broader human flourishing and agency. Drawing on the capability approach framework, this article examines how organizational adult learning initiatives can expand employees' real freedoms to achieve valued outcomes rather than merely delivering standardized training interventions. Evidence suggests that participation inequalities persist across socioeconomic, educational, and demographic lines, with significant consequences for both organizational performance and individual wellbeing. This review synthesizes research on capability-oriented learning systems, highlighting evidence-based organizational responses including conversion factor support, choice architecture redesign, social capability building, and agency-enhancing practices. Forward-looking recommendations emphasize psychological contract recalibration, distributed leadership structures, and continuous learning ecosystems that recognize learning as intrinsically valuable while simultaneously advancing organizational objectives. Organizations adopting capability-sensitive approaches demonstrate enhanced innovation capacity, employee retention, and adaptive performance in volatile environments.  

This video explores the gap between companies’ promises of career growth through training programs and the actual lived experiences of employees, particularly those facing personal and social challenges. It emphasizes that true opportunity is not simply handing out course catalogs or certificates but enabling real, meaningful learning that transforms lives. The narrative centers on Maria, a hardworking single mother who struggles to balance training with her demanding life, illustrating the hidden barriers many employees face despite seemingly equal access to development opportunities. Highlights 🎯 True opportunity in learning is more than handing out course catalogs; it’s about enabling life-changing growth. 👩‍👦 Maria’s story highlights the hidden personal struggles that complicate access to workplace training. 🧱 Barriers to learning fall into three categories: personal, social, and systemic. ⏰ Providing paid learning time and covering costs addresses critical financial and time constraints. 📚 Flexible learning options with short modules and varied schedules make growth accessible. 🤝 Confidence-building through peer support and navigation advisors is essential. 🌐 Designing clear pathways and fostering learning communities amplifies success. Key Insights 🔍 Hidden Barriers Require Active Investigation: The story of Maria reveals that equal access on paper does not translate to equal opportunity in practice. Organizations must dig deeper to identify the unseen obstacles—such as caregiving responsibilities and lack of quiet study space—that disproportionately affect certain employees. Understanding these nuances is crucial for designing truly inclusive development programs. 💡 Personal Challenges Impact Learning Readiness: Health, prior education, and digital literacy significantly influence an individual’s ability to engage with training. For example, someone with limited experience using digital platforms may feel intimidated or ashamed to ask for help, which can lead to disengagement. Addressing these foundational issues with empathy and support is necessary to build a culture of continuous learning. 🏢 Workplace Culture Shapes Learning Behavior: Social norms within organizations can either encourage or discourage employees from pursuing development. If the culture implicitly punishes those who take time to learn (e.g., through negative perceptions of time off for training), employees may avoid growth opportunities despite interest. Creating visible role models and celebrating learning helps shift these norms toward support and encouragement. 💰 Financial and Time Support Are Foundational: Offering paid learning time and covering costs such as course fees, materials, and certifications removes significant barriers, especially for employees with tight budgets or multiple responsibilities. Additionally, providing support for childcare or eldercare acknowledges the real-life demands that compete with learning and signals genuine organizational commitment. 📅 Flexible Learning Models Reflect Real Lives: Rigid training schedules often collide with complex personal lives. Short, self-paced modules and varied session times allow employees to engage when it fits their schedules, reducing stress and increasing completion rates. Learning ambassadors and protected learning time further enhance accessibility and participation. 🌱 Confidence Is Built Through Practice and Support: Low-stakes environments where learners can practice skills without fear of failure promote growth and reduce anxiety. Peer groups and navigation advisors serve as guides, helping learners overcome hurdles and maintain motivation. Confidence gained this way translates into greater persistence and success in learning journeys. 🌐 Structured Pathways and Communities Enhance Outcomes: Simply providing a course catalog is insufficient. Employees benefit from clear, well-designed learning pathways that outline progression steps and goals. Communities of learning—cohorts or groups who learn together—create accountability, shared experiences, and networks of encouragement that sustain long-term development. #CapabilityApproach #AdultLearning #OrganizationalDevelopment #WorkforceDevelopment #LearningAndDevelopment OUTLINE: 00:00:00 - Learning as True Freedom 00:00:36 - Why Equal Training Isn't Always Fair 00:01:15 - Personal, Social, and Environmental Walls 00:01:48 - From Barriers to Bridges: Practical Steps and Call to Action

The video transcript, dated November 21st, 2025, paints a vivid picture of how the workplace has undergone a profound transformation due to the rapid evolution of AI, specifically agentic AI systems. Initially, large language models (LLMs) were seen as mere tools or advanced chatbots performing simple, discrete tasks like drafting emails or summarizing documents. The human was the director, and the AI was a passive executor. However, this paradigm is becoming obsolete as AI systems now exhibit agentic qualities: they can autonomously plan, execute, and manage complex multi-step projects with minimal human intervention. Highlights 🤖 AI evolved from reactive typist to autonomous project manager, transforming workplace roles. 📊 Agentic AI independently plans, executes, and manages complex, multi-step professional tasks. 🚀 Studies show AI boosts productivity significantly, speeding up coding and innovation by 40-55%. ⚠️ AI excels at routine, data-heavy tasks but struggles with creativity and nuanced human judgment. 🧠 Human roles shift from task execution to strategic oversight, quality control, and relationship building. 🛡️ Organizations must implement clear AI governance frameworks, quality assurance, and task mapping. 🎓 Employee training in AI literacy and preserving junior talent development are vital for sustainable adoption. Key Insights 🤝 Agentic AI as a Managed Partner: Unlike early chatbot models, agentic AI demonstrates autonomy by creating and following multi-step plans, accessing external data sources, running code, and self-correcting. This evolution signifies a fundamental shift in human-AI collaboration, positioning AI as a digital colleague rather than a mere tool. The challenge is not AI capability but how humans direct and govern it effectively. 📈 Substantial Productivity Gains with Caveats: Empirical evidence from sectors like consulting and software development reveals AI can accelerate tasks by up to 55%, particularly in structured, repetitive workflows. However, these gains are uneven; for ambiguous, creative, or judgment-heavy tasks, AI’s contribution can be marginal or even detrimental, necessitating continued human expertise and vigilance. 🧩 Complex Task Mapping is Essential: To maximize AI benefits and minimize risks, organizations must rigorously analyze workflows, categorizing tasks by routine level, data intensity, and error risk. This nuanced approach ensures AI is deployed where it excels (low-risk, high-volume tasks) and human judgment remains central in high-stakes, complex decisions. Task mapping becomes the foundation for responsible AI integration. 🔄 Redefining Human Roles and Skills: The rise of AI demands a shift from performing discrete tasks to interpreting AI outputs, providing strategic insights, and maintaining ethical and relational dimensions of work. This evolution preserves human dignity and adds value beyond automation. Importantly, maintaining learning pathways for junior employees is critical to prevent skill erosion and ensure future leadership development. 🛡️ Robust Governance and Quality Control: AI outputs are not infallible; hallucinations and subtle errors require comprehensive quality assurance systems including audits, dual verification, error logging, and iterative refinement. Governance structures like cross-functional AI councils are vital to oversee AI deployment, set policies, manage risks, and foster an ethical, consistent organizational approach. 🎯 Incremental, Evidence-Based AI Adoption: Avoiding “Big Bang” implementations, organizations should start with pilots in low-risk areas, measuring productivity, costs, and user experience carefully. This iterative approach allows for learning, adaptation, and scaling based on evidence rather than hype, ensuring sustainable AI integration that truly augments human capabilities. 🧑‍🏫 Prioritizing AI Literacy and Human Capital Investment: Successful AI adoption hinges on comprehensive training that goes beyond simple use to critical evaluation of AI outputs, bias detection, and problem structuring. Investing in people’s skills ensures they remain in control, leveraging AI’s power safely and effectively while preserving innovation and creativity in the workforce. If this helped, please like and share the video to spread these evidence-based strategies. #AI #AgenticAI #HumanAICollaboration #WorkplaceAI #Gemini3

Abstract: Three years after ChatGPT's launch, artificial intelligence has evolved from generating coherent text to functioning as a collaborative workplace partner capable of autonomous planning, coding, research, and analysis. This article examines the transformation of AI capabilities through the lens of Google's Gemini 3 and similar agentic systems, analyzing their implications for organizational work design, human-AI collaboration models, and knowledge work transformation. Drawing on recent demonstrations of AI performing graduate-level research, autonomous coding, and multi-step project execution, we explore how organizations can effectively integrate these capabilities while maintaining human oversight and strategic direction. The shift from "human fixing AI mistakes" to "human directing AI work" represents a fundamental reimagining of knowledge work distribution, requiring new frameworks for task allocation, quality assurance, and capability development. Evidence suggests successful integration depends on treating AI as managed collaborators rather than automated tools, with clear governance structures, iterative feedback mechanisms, and realistic expectations about both capabilities and limitations.

In this HCI Webinar, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Jennifer Carlson about the role of apprenticeships in preparing the future workforce. Jennifer Carlson serves as the CEO of Apprenti. Apprenti is a non-profit, apprenticeship intermediary and workforce consulting organization that delivers a secondary pipeline of tech talent to address U.S. domestic digital skills shortages. A former business leader with AIG, Progressive and adjunct professor at Seattle University, Jennifer also serves on the Tech Councils of North America (TECNA) foundation board, and as an Advisory Board Member - Apprenticeships for America.