Human First in an AI World

That question was also at the heart of a recent conversation between WAB’s Director of Innovation in Learning and Teaching, Stephen Taylor, and Institute for Social Emotional Learning co-founder Nick Haisman. For Stephen, it would be “myopic” to think about AI only as a technical skill students need to master. Platforms will change, tools will evolve, and the technology students use today may look very different in only a few years. What matters more, he argues, is protecting the learning that remains deeply human: deep thinking, strong relationships, ethical judgment, communication, and collaboration. These are competencies highlighted by organizations like the World Economic Forum as essential for the future. 

In the conversation, Stephen and Nick explore how social‑emotional learning at WAB is “deeply woven into the fabric” of school life: from mentoring and classroom relationships to experiential learning and child safeguarding. SEL at WAB lives in daily interactions: students checking in with mentors, teachers using grounding strategies like box breathing, and a shared language of care that helps learners feel safe enough to take risks, struggle, and grow. For WAB, our whole‑school culture enables students to thrive academically and personally in a rapidly changing world. 

Stephen describes his core belief as “learning for hope and agency” for young people. That means helping students understand AI as something they can navigate with confidence, ethics, and curiosity. In one recent example, WAB’s Careers Day invited students to explore how AI is shaping fields they care about, like marine biology, engineering, psychology, and more, using guided prompts to build “intelligence reports” on emerging opportunities. At the same time, teachers encouraged learners to look closely at the human side of AI: bias, environmental impact, misinformation, and human rights. WAB treats these complexities as essential for innovative learning. 

WAB is also working with international partners to make these “human skills” more visible and valued. Stephen highlights the school’s engagement with Melbourne Metrics at the University of Melbourne, which is developing ways to define and assess competencies such as collaboration, communication, and ethical reasoning. By connecting this work with the IB philosophy and WAB’s own learner profile, the school is building ways to show students and universities that skills developed in mentoring, experiential learning, and SEL‑rich classrooms are as real and rigorous as grades. 

Nick sums up a key WAB value nicely as “people before program”: the idea that no curriculum, resource, or AI tool can succeed without strong, trusting relationships at the center. Stephen connects this to what we pay attention to, by investing time, language, and structures in SEL, mentoring, and experiential learning, WAB is showing that being human in the age of AI is a main goal. That commitment is what makes WAB’s approach to innovation special: technology is always in service of human flourishing, not the other way around. 

IFSEL recently published their summer reading recommendations, including books on SEL, Belonging, AI, Restorative Practices, Communication and more. Find out more here. 

Stephen’s book, (If You) USEME-AI: Learning for Hope & Agency in an AI World is available in print and digital from Amazon here.

This year, through our Innovation Series, in collaboration with Stephen Taylor, our Director of Innovation, we’ll be sharing stories and examples of what innovation looks like across WAB. We’ll share stories from classrooms, examples from alumni, and insights from global partners. Our hope is that together, we can build a clearer picture of how innovation at WAB helps our students become better learners and prepared for life beyond WAB.