Shoulder to Shoulder: Dr. Alison Lee on Partnering with Youth in the AI Age

Dr. Alison Lee, Chief R&D Officer of The Rithm Project, joins the podcast to discuss the collision between the youth loneliness epidemic and the rise of AI. She shares research on why young people are turning to AI for connection and explains her five principles for "pro-social AI," offering a hopeful framework for nurturing human relationships in a tech-saturated world.The Rithm Project, Alison’s substack The Rithm Project on LinkedInFive Principles for Prosocial AI, how to design (and choose) technology that strengthens human connectionDeepfakes to Deep Trust: Navigating AI's Impact on Connection, Learning, and Belonging, slide deck from presentation at ASCD Annual Conference 2025Spark Toolkit, resource from The Rithm Project designed for teens and young adults to create spaces, tools, and activities that help young people develop meaningful connections with othersCharacter AI, platform that allows users to interact with AI-powered chatbots that can be customized to have unique personalities and behaviors