Heather Malin — Can AI Help Kids Find Their Purpose?

AI Companions & Teens: The Hidden Risks — with Common Sense Media’s Dr. Michael Robb

AI-enabled chatbots and AI companion apps are becoming a significant force in teens’ digital lives. Hundreds of these emotional AI platforms are designed to build instant intimacy—sometimes declaring love within minutes of a first conversation. For teenagers, this creates real risks, from emotional manipulation to blurred lines between human relationships and artificial intimacy. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Michael Robb, Head of Research at Common Sense Media and co-author of Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions. Dr. Robb shares new insights into why teens turn to AI companions, how these tools shape mental health and identity, and what parents, educators, and policymakers need to know to support safe and responsible AI use. AI-Proof [https://www.aiproofmedia.com/] is presented by YOX toys [https://yoxtoys.com/]. For more information about YOX and its open-ended building toys, visit https://yoxtoys.com/aiproof

Dr. Joseph Allen–What is real in a world of fake AI videos?

Dr. Joseph Allen is an optometrist, educator, and creator of the Doctor Eye Health YouTube channel, which has more than one million subscribers. As an eye doctor, he is witnessing the emergence of potentially transformative AI technologies. However, as a content creator, he also has firsthand experience with the dark reality of AI-generated deepfake videos, having unwillingly appeared in hundreds of fake videos that have sold millions of dollars' worth of unproven cures to unsuspecting victims worldwide. How can we prepare our kids for a future where it will be nearly impossible to tell fact from fiction online - and how do we lean in to all the positive possibilities created by artificial intelligence while protecting future generations from a sea of deepfakes and disinformation? AI-Proof [https://www.aiproofmedia.com/] is presented by YOX toys [https://yoxtoys.com/]. For more information about YOX and its open-ended building toys, visit https://yoxtoys.com [https://yoxtoys.com/].

Inception Point CEO Jeanine Wright — Should AI-generated “people” have human rights?

Jeanine Wright is a self-described AI maximalist building a company that aims to transform the media industry through the use of artificial intelligence. She is co-founder and CEO of Inception Point AI, which describes itself as the world’s first all-AI talent agency and media company. They already create thousands of AI-hosted podcasts a week and are rapidly expanding into video and other forms of media. AI-Proof [https://www.aiproofmedia.com/]is a podcast for parents and educators about preparing our kids for a future infused with Artificial Intelligence. In the coming months, we’ll speak with creators who are using AI in innovative and thought-provoking ways, journalists who are raising concerns about AI’s impact on children's mental health, and experts who will remind us what AI is—and what it isn't.

Heather Malin — Can AI Help Kids Find Their Purpose?

Purpose is powerful, and the search for purpose can play a critical role in our kids' development. But what does the search for purpose look like in the age of Artificial Intelligence? Heather Malin is the former director of research at the Center on Adolescence at Stanford University. Her research focused on how young people develop a sense of purpose and contribute to their communities and society. Heather is the author of the book, Teaching for Purpose: Preparing Students for Lives of Meaning.  Recently, Heather has been writing about the impact of AI on adolescents and how artificial intelligence could be a positive influence and a powerful tool to support our kids’ search for purpose. AI-Proof [https://www.aiproofmedia.com/] is a podcast for parents and educators about preparing our kids for a future infused with Artificial Intelligence. In the coming months, we’ll speak with creators who are using AI in innovative and thought-provoking ways, journalists who are raising concerns about AI’s impact on children's mental health, and experts who will remind us what AI is—and what it isn't.

Big Question: Should Kids Have AI Friends?

In a few weeks, we’re going to talk about the flood of new AI companion apps and the potential benefits and real dangers of kids having AI friends. But first, we want to hear from you. Do you think kids should have AI friends? If so, at what age? Do you have kids or students already using these apps? Have you ever interacted with an AI companion? Please drop a note or comment to us on any of our social media channels or contact us at aiproofmedia.com [http://aiproofmedia.com]. AI-Proof is presented by YOX toys. To save 10% on your first order, visit yoxtoys.com/aiproof [http://yoxtoys.com/aiproof]