Y is for You - ABCs of AI (Elementary+)

What happens when a robot colors the sun green? That playful mistake helps us unlock a bigger idea: AI needs you. Not as a spectator, but as the guide who brings context, empathy, and fairness.

In this episode, Y stands for “You + AI.” We explore how people and AI work together in the real world, where speed and pattern spotting meet human judgment and care. We explain the idea of “human in the loop,” a simple way to make sure people stay in charge of goals, guardrails, and final decisions.

You’ll hear how AI helps doctors flag issues in X-rays while physicians decide treatment, supports teachers by grading routine work while educators respond to emotions and needs, and boosts artists by creating quick sketches while humans bring meaning and message. Along the way, we talk about bias, brittle rules, and why unchecked automation can lead to unfair results. The solution isn’t magic code, it’s a culture of curiosity, feedback, and review.

We also share a fun family activity called “Who’s in the Loop?” that helps kids practice spotting bad rules and adding nuance. Try saying “All fruit is round” and see how bananas save the day. Then talk together about where people and AI work as partners, when humans should have the final say, and which choices are safe to automate.

Join us as we celebrate kids’ questions, creativity, and courage, the real drivers of responsible AI. If we want smarter tools that serve people, your voice matters most.

Subscribe, share this episode, and leave a review to help more families explore AI with curiosity and care.

Resources:

• Sign up for the AiDigiCards waitlist
• Follow our Kickstarter
• Big Emotions: Kids Listen Mashups About Feelings

Chapters

• 0:58 Big Emotions Mashup Announcement
• 2:06 Y Is for You and AI
• 2:56 Human in the Loop Explained
• 4:21 Where Humans and AI Team Up
• 5:12 The “Who’s in the Loop?” Game
• 6:32 Questions to Ask Grown‑Ups
• 8:04 Why Your Curiosity Shapes AI
• 8:17 Closing and Next Letter Tease

Transcript

Announcement: 0:29

Hello and warm welcome.

Annnouncement: 0:30

I'm Erica O'Keefe from the kids' podcast What If World. I'm Molly Bloom. You might know me from Brains On or SmashBloom Best. I'm Jerry Colbert of Who's Murder.

Announcement: 0:40

We're teaming up with over 40 of the best kids podcasts for a brand new collaboration. Big Emotions. A kids listen mashup. This series is a celebration of creativity, connection, and all the big feelings kids experience. Each episode is a social emotional learning resource with simple activities to help kids understand and work through their feelings. Guided by me, Dr. Eileen Kennedy Moore. Every mashup centers around emotional pairs like fear and bravery, anger and forgiveness, and love and sadness, powered by the voices and imagination of our podcast collaborators. So tune in to Big Emotions Kids Listen Mashups, launching September 16th. New episodes drop Tuesdays and Thursdays wherever you get your podcasts.

Amber Ivey: 1:37

Welcome back to AI for kids. We're almost to the end of the ABCs of AI. I'm getting sad, but I'm really excited to talk about today, which is the letter Y. And guess what it stands for? Why is for you? Yep, you and AI working together. Let's explore how you, a human, can work with AI to do some amazing things and why that's super important. So, what does it really mean for you plus AI? Like, what does that mean? Some people think AI is just going to do everything for us, but that's not how it works. Smart machines can help us, but humans still need to make the big decisions. That's called having a human in the loop. That just means AI doesn't act all by itself, it works with people almost like a team. So let's break it down with a story. This story is called the coloring robot. So imagine you have a robot named Zappy. Zappy loves the color. You give Zappy a coloring book and some crayons. You tell it, color all the trees green. Zappy starts coloring, but oh no, it colors every single thing green. Even the sun, the flowers, and your cat. That's when you have to step in. You say, wait, Zappy, the sun is yellow, the cat is orange. Zappy listens and learns. That way, together, you finish the coloring book the right way. That's the idea behind human in the loop AI. The robot or AI tool learns with you, not instead of you. So I want you all to know why humans still matter when it comes to AI. Here's the thing AI is super smart with patterns, numbers, and fast thinking, but humans are better at understanding feelings, making tough choices, and truly knowing what's right and what's fair. So even when an AI is used in hospitals or in your school or in the games you're playing, people should always be there to guide it as it gets better and as it's learning. Let's look at a few places where you and AI are a great team. One is helping doctors. AI can look at X-rays and say, hmm, this bone might be broken, but a doctor, a human, should make the final decision on the treatment plan or what should happen after they find the broken bone. Helping teachers. Some programs can grade math homework really fast, but only a teacher knows when a kid needs extra help or has a bad day. The AI can see some of those things on the computer, but a teacher is there and can understand the emotions and what's happening with the kid live in the classroom. Also, when it comes to helping artists, AI can suggest colors or even draw a silly picture. But you should decide what to draw or write next. That should always be based on you. And you should be giving AI the information to help it and to guide it in the right way. As always, there's things you need to watch out for. Sometimes people let AI make decisions all on its own, like hiring someone for a job or deciding who gets help. But remember, AI can make mistakes, especially if it hasn't been trained well or fairly. That's why having a human in the loop is so important. It keeps things fair, safe, and human-centered, meaning focus on the humans. So I want you all to try a game out at home and it's called Who's in the Loop? And it's a fun game that you can play with your family or even at school. So one person plays the AI and they have to follow the rules exactly. And then I want another person to be the human in the loop. So try these situations. One AI says, all fruit is round. The human says, wait, bananas are fruit too. Then AI can say something like, Everyone who's quiet is happy. And the human can say, not always. So what you're gonna do is get very creative, say wild and of course appropriate things. And then the human has to correct it and share why that's not necessarily true. And then I want you to see how humans can add context and care into the different things that the AI is saying. That's the power of you. Why o you? I want you to actually take some time to talk to a grown-up in your life. And I want you to ask them a few questions. I'm gonna give you a few to start with, but I also want you to start asking questions on your own, especially as you're learning more about AI and becoming little experts in this stuff. Feel free to ask them where do they see AI and people working together today? Do they do it at their job? Do they see it in different cars that are self-driving? Where do they see AI and people working together? Also ask them, when should humans always be in a loop? Talk about what type of decisions an AI should never make on its own. And feel free to talk about decisions you may feel comfortable with an AI making without you being involved. And then last but not least, ask them how you can get better at working with technology? And how can they, as your parent or the grown-up, and also how can you get better? What are some things you should consider and what are some things you can keep in mind? Why does this matter? Because you don't have to be a robot builder to shape the future of AI. Your curiosity, your creativity, and your questions are the secret sauce. So every time you hear about something when it comes to AI, whether you notice something strange in a game, or you want to ask someone how a smart speaker works, or you see something and you want to say, that doesn't seem fair. You're being the human in the loop and you're helping AI do better. And I want you to keep doing that. Well, kids, we're at the end of our episode for this week. Thanks for joining me for why is for you and AI. And remember, humans should always be a part of the team when AI is involved. Next up, the final letter Z. I'm so sad, but also so happy that we made it this far. Until then, I want you all to stay curious, ask all the questions, ask all the why, why, whys in the world, and always keep human in the loop. Bye bye.