The Great Balance - AI and Generation Beta

In this insightful and forward-thinking session from the Artificial Unintelligence Conference 2025, Ronald Petty (RXM Technologies; Chair, ACM & Internet Society Chapters) explores how the next generation — Generation Beta — will grow up immersed in artificial intelligence as an everyday environment rather than a separate tool.

Petty challenges us to consider what it means to raise, educate, and empower a generation that will never know a world without AI. He examines how we can strike “the great balance” — fostering innovation and efficiency without losing empathy, ethics, and human agency. Through real-world examples and a systems-thinking approach, he invites educators, technologists, and policymakers to reimagine how society prepares for an AI-integrated future.

Key themes include:

Why Generation Beta will “live within” AI, not merely use it

The importance of critical AI literacy in education

Balancing automation with human judgment and empathy

The role of ethical infrastructure in sustainable innovation

How intergenerational collaboration can safeguard the future