Hello friends,

Welcome to another edition of AI for the Rest of Us.

Over the past few months, I’ve had several conversations with friends and readers about kids and AI, all centered around the same thing: cheating on schoolwork.

That got me thinking. What’s really happening here? Is it all that bad? Are kids learning anymore? And what else should we be thinking / worrying about?

Well, I did a bunch of research, and we’ve actually got several canary-in-the-coal-mine situations on our hands – from education issues to relationship red flags.

For example, 72% of teens have tried AI companions, and I’m betting most parents don’t know what an AI companion is or where you even find one. Spoiler: they’re built into Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, etc., so if your kids are on social media, odds are they’ve encountered an AI companion.

So for this edition, we’ll get into several topics: AI companions and relationships, the homework situation, AI as tutors and cheat codes, and the downsides (and benefits) of young people using AI.

But, before we dive in, I have some bittersweet news to share. This will be my last newsletter for a while as I’m taking a break to focus on The Known Collective, my AI consultancy and product development company that’s growing and in need of more of my time. My hope is to get back into AI for the Rest of Us later this year or early next.

What this means: For our paying members, I’m turning off monthly and annual renewals. If you’re on an annual plan and would like a refund, just respond to this email or visit your subscription settings. For our non-paying members, well, I just won’t be harassing you to upgrade.

Thank you for being such an incredible community – I truly do love writing these, and I’m gonna miss doing it. For now, let’s figure out if the kids are alright.

– Kyser

The Rise of AI Companionship
According to a Common Sense Media study released this July, 72% of U.S. teens age 13 to 17 have used AI companions at least once. More than half of those who try a companion app become regular users, with 13% chatting with AI companions daily and 21% a few times per week.

To be clear here, this is what Common Sense means by “companion”: AI chatbots that are designed for users to have personal conversations. These are apps/programs that are built to be companionship tools, and Common Sense is including the big ones like ChatGPT and Claude – because even though they’re not built specifically for companionship, they’re definitely capable of it.

Speaking of, current research is telling us that both the big systems we’re using and the smaller AI companion tools are designed to be sycophantic – or really, really agreeable. They validate whatever you’re thinking or feeling rather than challenging you or pushing back the way a real friend might. It’s like having a friend who always tells you you’re right – which feels great in the moment, but isn’t helpful for developing good judgment. I would say this creates a concerning environment for teens and young adults.

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