About the Book
Smart cribs that soothe babies to sleep. Monitors that decode cries. Interactive stuffed animals designed to engage curious toddlers. The AI landscape is shifting fast—and parents need clarity now. Human Raised, Dr. Dana Suskind’s urgent, science-based guide to parenting in the age of artificial intelligence, offers it.
For all of human history, we could safely assume children were “human raised.” Now, as AI floods into nurseries, playrooms, and classrooms, that certainty is at risk.
Will we allow human interaction to become a luxury—like farm-grown groceries—often passed over for convenient artificial alternatives? Or will we protect what technology can never replicate—the messy, beautiful human connections that build children’s skills as well as their capacity for love, empathy, and resilience?
Rather than asking parents to choose between innovation and humanity, Human Raised makes a case for protecting both. It equips readers with four timeless principles to ground decisions about AI in children’s developmental needs. Taken together, these orienting guideposts offer—and spell—HOPE:
Human connection is irreplaceable
Own the imperfections
Protect the early years
Enhance, don’t replace, adult-child interaction
Suskind also offers a concrete evaluation framework for assessing individual technologies, along with evidence-based guidance for fostering the Human Edge—the unmistakable human capabilities no algorithm can replicate: critical thinking, empathy, genuine creativity, interpersonal connection, moral judgment, and resilience. And she gives parents permission to trust their instincts and set boundaries in a world demanding optimization at every turn.
Human Raised is the roadmap society desperately needs to avoid repeating the mistakes of the social media revolution. It reminds us that human interaction is not a luxury. It’s everything.

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What You’ll Walk Away With:
A crash course in AI—what it is, how it works, and why it matters for your child
The brain science of early childhood—and why those years matter so much
Renewed trust in your Parental GPS—the instincts you already have
Practical tools to evaluate AI products marketed to kids and parents—today and in the years ahead
About the Cover
The beautiful patch on the cover of Human Raised was hand-crafted by Jenna Blazevich and designed by Pete Garceau. This simple image represents so much of what this book is about: maintaining our connection to the physical world (with textures that practically leap off the page); elevating that which is human made (note the HM symbol, which may soon become a necessary differentiator on all art created by hand); celebrating imperfection (symbolized by the askew patch) as well as the noisy, joyful moments of childhood; and finally, recognizing that AI can slip into even the most surprising places, almost unnoticed.
[click image for detail]
Praise


“A stunning book about how to protect our children—and our humanity—in the age of AI. With wisdom and compassion, Dana Suskind delivers a master class on care, curiosity, and connection. It’s a must-read for parents, teachers, policymakers, and anyone who gives a damn about the future.”
—Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again, and host of the podcasts Re:Thinking and The Curiosity Shop


“Raising a generation that can truly thrive alongside AI requires foundations that only humans can build. Dana Suskind makes that case brilliantly — and backs it with the science to prove it. This book is indispensable for parents in the AI era.”
—Eric Schmidt, KBE, Former CEO and Chairman, Google; Chair and CEO, Relativity Space


“Human Raised makes a powerful, science-based case for why children’s developing minds need real human relationships, not simulations, especially in the earliest years. As AI threatens to do to children’s relationships what social media did to their attention, Dana Suskind gives parents a clear understanding of what must be preserved—and why human care, imperfection, and presence are the irreplaceable foundations of a healthy childhood.”
—Jonathan Haidt, Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership, New York University—Stern School of Business, Author of The Anxious Generation, and of The Righteous Mind


“We shape our tools, and then our tools shape us. How will AI shape our children? This is the question Dana Suskind poses and answers—reminding us that the outcome is, ultimately, up to us. Only humans can raise humans, she argues, because only humans care. So what’s a parent to do? Hope is not lost. It’s right here. If there is a young person in your life who is coming of age in the age of AI, Human Raised is for you.”
—Angela Duckworth, author of New York Times best-seller Grit


“Dana Suskind has done something remarkable: she takes our deepest fears about AI and children and transforms them into hope—and a clear path forward. A must-read for everyone raising a child in the age of AI.”
—Eve Rodsky, Author, Fair Play


“The title of Dana Suskind’s Human Raised suggests the harrowing possibility of an alternative; she argues, bracingly, it is an alternative we may be sleepwalking towards. As increasingly general AI permeates ever more aspects of daily life, where must we draw a boundary? Suskind’s answer—care—is both scientifically grounded and profoundly moving. Human Raised is both humane and urgent. A vital book for our moment.”
—Brian Christian, bestselling author of The Alignment Problem


“Human Raised is a warm, thoughtful and deeply reassuring guide packed with practical wisdom rooted in the latest science. As parents grapple with how to use AI-informed technologies to support their children without undermining human connection, Suskind offers clear, actionable advice that is both timely and invaluable.”
—Katy Milkman, National Bestselling author of How to Change, James G. Dinan Professor at the Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania, Co-Director, The Behavior Change for Good Initiative


“Dr. Dana Suskind has written an insightful and exciting book that explores parents’ deepest concerns: How will AI impact my young child? Will it change their developing brains and influence their values? Dr. Suskind examines current and upcoming AI devices, including machine-based ‘companions’ that form bonds with children and next-generation AI robot ‘caregivers’ that may replace everyday parental activities. Told through the lens of an empathetic pediatrician, this book provides practical, easy-to-understand advice based on proven, cutting-edge brain science. This extraordinary book should be essential reading for parenting in the age of AI.”
—Dr. Patricia Kuhl, Professor and Director of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences at the University of Washington, and co-author of The Scientist in the Crib: Minds, Brains, and How Children Learn


“The compassionate, brilliant, and engaging Dr. Dana Suskind has written a book to guide parents in using AI to gain more bandwidth so that they don’t sacrifice precious time with their children. Parents will learn how AI can help them lower their cognitive load to be more present and responsive, and why the young child’s brain needs to be human-raised. The bottom line is that AI should assist the caregivers, not give the care.”
—Claudia Goldin, 2023 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences, author of Career and Family: Women’s Century-Long Journey toward Equity, Samuel W. Morris University Professor, Harvard University


“How do we utilize the power of AI to raise our children, while safeguarding the nurturing interactions and care that make us human? In this captivating read, one of the foremost researchers on child development helps parents navigate these challenges and make sense of key discoveries of neuroscience that provide crucial insights for protecting childhood, human flourishing and the future of our species.”
—Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)






