Human Raised

Physician Dana Suskind, whose earlier book Thirty Million Words showed how much parent talk and interaction build children's brains, turns to raising children as artificial intelligence moves into nurseries, playrooms and classrooms. She weighs what AI products for child-rearing can and cannot do, from monitors that claim to decode crying and cribs that soothe babies to sleep to chatbots built to engage curious toddlers. Her guidance rests on four principles: human connection cannot be replaced, parents should own their imperfections, the early years need protecting, and technology should enhance rather than replace connection. She also offers a framework for judging individual technologies and describes a Human Edge of critical thinking, empathy, creativity and resilience.

Adam Grant featured it in The 12 New Books to Enliven Spring and Summer as a guide to safeguarding children, and what makes people human, as AI spreads.