S4.C11. Regaining the Senses we lost
A journey to reclaim memory, mindfulness, and meaning in the age of automation - Imaginging what AI could truly do......
Previously,
It was Jun 01 , a hot night buzzing - all over the world where members joined in from Singapore, India, UAE, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Indonesia. With curiosity, parents, teachers, and young ambassadors gathered online for a powerful session under the banner of "Using AI to Stretch the Mind." It was a deep dive into the evolving relationship between children and artificial intelligence, wrapped in lively discussions, breakout rooms, and reflections from people across countries. But what made it especially compelling was the sense that everyone — from the most tech-savvy ambassador to the curious parent — walked away with a spark, a challenge, and a call to action.
DAV79, the session lead, set the tone early: kids today depend more on AI not because they’re inherently lazy, but because the tools around them offer effortless solutions. Just like we’d prefer a car over walking or an air conditioner over a paper fan, children naturally gravitate to easier, faster ways. But beneath this convenience lies a critical question: are they missing the opportunity to build their own resilience, their own creative muscle?
Exploring the Root of Overreliance on AI: Voices from the Group
At the opening of the discussion, the room was alive with thoughtful questioning: Why are kids today depending so heavily on AI? DAV79 skillfully set the stage by comparing modern tools to everyday shortcuts — why walk when you can drive? Why use a hand fan when air-conditioning is faster? He urged the group to reflect not just on convenience, but on what’s being lost when children choose the easier route over building personal resilience, curiosity, or critical thinking.
To start with the exercise , he raised some thoughts on what have we lost so far….
The Disappearing Skills
Maps once demanded that we study geography, plan routes, and mentally track landmarks as we moved through physical space. Today, GPS tells us when to turn, how long it will take, and even warns us of traffic ahead. While convenient, this has led to a loss of spatial awareness, route memorization, and the joy of discovery that came from figuring things out ourselves. Many people now struggle to describe how they got somewhere or to retrace their steps without digital aid.
Calendars, especially for remembering birthdays, used to rely on personal memory. Remembering a friend’s or family member’s birthday was an emotional act, a gesture of attentiveness. Now, social media notifications do the work for us. We’ve lost not only memory habits but also the emotional value of remembering someone’s special day without a prompt. This automation risks turning meaningful gestures into routine responses.
Phone directories and the practice of memorizing numbers once kept our brains agile. Before smartphones, many people carried key numbers in their heads, reinforcing mental recall practice and exercising short-term memory. Today, contacts are saved in devices, and we rarely know even the most important numbers by heart. This small shift has weakened a basic but useful cognitive exercise: holding and retrieving small units of information.
Handwriting is perhaps one of the most intimate losses. Writing by hand connects fine motor skills to cognitive processing, helping us internalize thoughts, sharpen focus, and express emotions. Digital typing, though faster, lacks the same embodied engagement. With fewer opportunities to write by hand, we risk losing not only the skill itself but also the personal touch that handwritten words carry — something no typed message or emoji can fully replace.
What made this opening part so rich was not just the recognition of surface-level problems, but the multi-dimensional lens the participants applied — addressing social, cognitive, motivational, and systemic angles and the impact it was doing to our mindset. It was clear that the team wasn’t satisfied with easy answers. Instead, they were ready to challenge each other, to ask: How do we move beyond treating AI as just a tool — and start using it as a partner in stretching human potential.
We often use AI to do what we already know — not because AI itself is the problem, but because we hesitate to embrace the unknown and push beyond our comfort zones. We outsource tasks we repeat frequently, seeking efficiency and improved results, yet we rarely notice the cost until it’s too late. By the time we realize, we’ve lost the memory and mastery of what we once did ourselves. Erosion is slow, but its impact is profound. And that’s only one side of the equation.
DAV79 laid it out bluntly: “How do we help them understand that AI isn’t here to replace them, but to stretch their minds?” Silvia quickly raised a piercing question: What if kids become more confident using AI — but end up depending on it too much?
That challenge framed the night’s conversation, as the group grappled with the realities of a VUCA world — one filled with volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity — the very landscape our children navigate every day. The core issue wasn’t just the presence of AI; it was the ease of access, the constant availability, and the subtle erosion of motivation among young people to engage deeply with the process, rather than simply rushing toward the destination.
Silvia Puspita bravely jumped in, rating volatility the highest at 7 out of 10. Her point: it’s not so much that kids face ambiguity or the unknown; it’s that they’re overwhelmed by the rapid pace of everything around them. They’re bombarded with information and crave speed, which drives them to lean on AI tools - because the world we live in is rushing them into a race. Silvia suggested making learning more exciting, which DAV79 eagerly expanded on: gamify it. Turn challenges into games where AI isn't just giving answers but sparking curiosity. Make them explain why they got a result, not just submit a score. This approach transforms AI from a shortcut into a learning partner.
To further test out the VUCA framework, DAV79 broke the room into 2 - Silvia and Lin91 leading Room 1 while SAHN with Room 2.
Breakout rooms pulsed with energy as participants worked in smaller teams. Lin91's group tackled the unsettling idea that children today may believe AI can do everything. If they no longer know what they themselves are good at or love to do, they risk losing purpose and hope for the future. Their biggest insight? The central factor here is the unknown: kids don’t know who they want to be or why they are learning. The group brainstormed using AI not as a crutch, but as a source of recommendations, insights, and questions that help children explore possibilities and shape their sense of self.
Lin91 deepened the reflection by pointing out something even more sensitive: that many children don’t yet know who they want to become or what they truly love. She emphasized that this absence of internal purpose makes it easy for them to let AI fill the gaps, because they’re not driven by self-motivated goals. Without a clear sense of personal direction, the risk is they drift into passive dependence, losing sight of their own agency.
Templates from the team
Meanwhile, Sahn's team zoomed in on the classroom experience - since they had more educators with them. Sahn added another layer by discussing the school environment: some children are very familiar with AI, but others aren’t aware at all — meaning the ecosystem itself is uneven. His group discussed how both overuse and underexposure can lead to issues: either children lean too heavily on AI to “submit their best work,” or they miss out on developing critical modern skills because they’re left behind.
They therefore saw two types of students: those eagerly using AI to maximize performance and those who didn’t even know how to begin. Their proposed solution? Pair them up. Create a buddy system where students confident with AI guide those who are just starting, fostering not only skills but community. It was a beautifully human answer to a high-tech challenge.
The closing part of the session shimmered with inspiration. DAV79 reminded everyone of a mentor figure — affectionately referred to as "Dr. Who" — who had sparked this whole initiative. Dr. Who’s insight was clear-eyed and provocative: "We can't run from this." AI is already part of our lives. Whether we like it or not, whether we feel ready or not, we have to address it, engage with it, and shape how it integrates into our world. This was not a warning; it was a rallying cry.
Lin91 then took the floor, outlining three core initiatives of the Global Citizens Program. First, nurturing local student ambassadors who, across countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, and India, are being trained to become the future leaders of their generation. These ambassadors are not just learning about AI; they are being equipped to help their peers become strong global citizens.
Second, the program sharpens children’s questioning abilities. In a world where AI can supply endless answers, the real differentiator is asking better, deeper questions. The team tracks the evolution of student questions over time, using them as a mirror to reflect mindset growth, curiosity, and problem-solving skills.
Third, the program brings everything into the real world through action. Community projects, especially the upcoming boot camps in Hanoi and Bali, provide hands-on spaces where children apply their mindset training to actual challenges. It’s not just about theories; it’s about doing, showing, and evolving.
The evening wrapped up with a challenge for everyone: go home and ask your child, "What if AI could... ?" What would they want AI to do to improve them? And why? This wasn’t just a cute exercise. As DAV79 pointed out, how children answer reveals what they value, what they fear, and what they dream of becoming. It helps them see AI not as a magical tool or a looming threat, but as a partner they can shape and learn from.
As the closing reflections rolled in, a rich tapestry emerged. Miss Santi pointed out the dual reality in many schools: some students are charging ahead with AI, while others are held back by lack of access or understanding. Jenny Mak summed up the night's insight poignantly: "Finding the problem is easy, but solving it is hard." Yet the group agreed that constant questioning, experimenting, and co-creating with children is the path forward.
Parents like those of Anguma, a young ambassador who has already impressed the team with her AI fluency, expressed gratitude and eagerness to continue. Participants like Silvia, who is not yet a parent but already soaking up insights for the future, emphasized how valuable it is to learn collectively, across generations. And team members like Cloudy and Sahn emphasized the importance of continuing these conversations, suggesting follow-ups focused on key themes and challenges.
As the session ended, there was a sense of shared mission. Dr. Who’s words hung in the air: "We can’t run from this." But rather than feeling trapped or overwhelmed, the group felt energized. They were not just running toward AI; they were running with it, ready to experiment, stumble, learn, and shape the journey.
In a world rushing forward with or without us, this night was a vivid reminder that our greatest tool is not technology itself, but the collective mindset we bring to it. And with leaders, parents, teachers, and students all leaning in together, the future looks not just fast, but full of possibility. And that’s how we can enhance the ecosystem - using first AI where it rightfully must - as an enabler of the mindset.
Mindset Evaluation of Participants from our AI Bot in training.
1️⃣ DAV79 (Facilitator)
Mindset Profile:
Growth-oriented → Consistently pushed participants to think deeper, ask better questions, and experiment.
System thinker → Looked at both individual learning and group dynamics.
Optimistic challenge-seeker → Believes the group can figure this out, even if it’s messy.
Mindset Impact: Sets a culture of intellectual curiosity and constructive questioning, modeling how to lead adaptive conversations.
2️⃣ Silvia Puspita
Mindset Profile:
Open learner → Admitted not having all the answers, willing to explore ideas like gamification.
Curiosity-driven → Actively engaged with the “why” behind children’s laziness or reliance on tech.
Collaborative → Picked up on others’ suggestions and expanded them.
Mindset Impact: Shows flexibility and a hunger to grow, even outside her direct role (as she’s not yet a parent).
3️⃣ Lin91
Mindset Profile:
Purpose-seeker → Focused on children’s inner drivers, not just external behaviors.
Strategic → Thought several steps ahead, recognizing long-term implications of AI on identity and meaning.
Reflective → Shows maturity in blending emotional, social, and cognitive concerns.
Mindset Impact: Injected deep, reflective energy into the conversation, steering it toward purpose and meaning, not just tactics.
4️⃣ SAHN (Sagent)
Mindset Profile:
System-sensitive → Balanced individual and institutional factors, aware of diverse student backgrounds.
Pragmatic → Focused on real-world teacher-student dynamics.
Solution-focused → Looked for both structural and behavioral interventions.
Mindset Impact: Brings grounded, actionable thinking, ensuring the conversation stays relevant to school settings.
5️⃣ Jenny Mak
Mindset Profile:
Realist → Acknowledged that problems are easy to name but solutions are hard, keeping the group humble.
Incrementalist → Emphasized small, continuous efforts like ongoing questioning.
Encourager → Quietly reinforced the group’s focus on engagement.
Mindset Impact: Anchors the group in realism, preventing over-optimism or simplistic solutions.
6️⃣ Parents of Anguma
Mindset Profile:
Supportive → Openly acknowledged the discussion’s value, positive toward collective learning.
Observer → Focused more on absorbing than contributing detailed insights.
Mindset Impact: Brings validation and positivity, though less active in shaping new directions.
7️⃣ Mr. Putu Buderiasa
Mindset Profile:
Eager learner → Expressed strong excitement to engage, learn, and apply knowledge.
Community-minded → Values the international exchange of ideas for the benefit of his school.
Mindset Impact: Strengthens the group’s collective learning spirit, reinforcing the importance of cross-cultural exchange.
8️⃣ Miss Santi Heppy
Mindset Profile:
Practical → Focused on concrete issues like connectivity and access.
Solution-aware → Interested in how to help teachers communicate better.
Collaborative → Ready to carry insights back to her local context.
Mindset Impact: Keeps the group anchored in the practicalities that can make or break implementation.
9️⃣ Cloudy_Vaan Dang
Mindset Profile:
Reflective → Quietly absorbed the importance of the topic.
Affirmative → Provided positive reinforcement without overcomplicating.
Mindset Impact: Contributes subtle energy of acknowledgment, though less directional shaping.
Here is a challenge for the Parents and Participants of the session :
Tell us three things that you would imagine AI to do for you to help augment that mindset. Send this to us before the next Talk show and we will share with you your score. Let’s gamify this as well.
However AI is used or not used right now, it is just a subset of Artificial General Intelligence, sure it is capable of crunching large data and give a well structured comparative answers to most questions, it still is unable to predict or séance (yes its possible to build AI of out a dead person) with good level of confidence.
That will change with the introduction of Artificial Super Intelligence. Now, this guy is worlds apart in predictive capacity due to the up and coming large scale quantum computing.
The point is we still have time, no one has really cracked ASI yet. But right now is the best time to start learning how to question the answers given by any artificial platforms.