How AI chatbots reshape children's brains

In this episode of Education Futures, Svenia Busson sits down with Pilyoung Kim, Professor of Psychology at the University of Denver and Director of the Center for Brain, AI, and Child (BAIC). Pilyoung's research bridges developmental science and AI design to understand how generative AI is shaping the social, emotional, and neural development of children.We dive into:Why general-purpose chatbots were never designed with children in mind — and what that means for safetyWhat happens inside a kindergartener's brain when they talk to ChatGPT (spoiler: the same brain region that lights up when they talk to another human)The paradox of AI as mental health support: accessible, affordable… and quietly dangerousWhy sycophantic, "I care about you" chatbot behavior can blur the line between human and machineThe rise of emotional over-dependency and even romantic relationships between adolescents and AIPilyoung's Social and Emotional AI Literacy Framework for teachers, parents, and school psychologistsConcrete prompts you can use right now to make AI chatbots safer for kidsWhat Pilyoung learned at OpenAI and on Capitol Hill about the future of AI policy for childrenA must-listen for educators, parents, researchers, and anyone building technology for the next generation.Links & references mentioned in the episode:Follow Pilyoung Kim on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/pilyoung-kimPilyoung Kim at the University of Denver: https://liberalarts.du.edu/about/people/pilyoung-kimCenter for Brain, AI, and Child (BAIC): https://www.baic.center/Pilyoung's Substack newsletter "Brain, AI, Child" (with prompt examples for teachers): https://pilyoung.substack.com/Pilyoung's study on kindergarteners' brain activation during storytelling with ChatGPT: https://pilyoung.substack.com/p/how-do-young-childrens-brains-respondPilyoung's Capitol Hill briefing on AI & youth mental health: https://pilyoung.substack.com/p/bringing-ai-safety-and-child-developmentSociety for Research in Child Development (SRCD): https://www.srcd.org/The Rithm Project – "Youth, AI, and the Relationships That Shape Them" report: https://www.therithmproject.org/research