Helping Students Navigate AI with Character: The Role of The Positivity Project

As artificial intelligence rapidly becomes part of our students’ daily lives and school experiences, we find ourselves at a pivotal moment. We can either rush to equip our students with tools that increase their efficiency, or we can pause and ask a deeper question: What kind of people do we want our students to become?

As a school leader, I support building AI literacy and preparing students for the world that awaits them. But I also know that tools—no matter how powerful—cannot teach purpose. They can’t help children discern what is right, meaningful, or worth pursuing. They cannot build character.

This is where The Positivity Project plays an essential role.

Rooted in the belief that character and relationships are foundational to human flourishing, The Positivity Project helps students grow into people of integrity who value others and contribute to their communities. At Canton, and in hundreds of schools across the country, The Positivity Project is implemented through daily classroom conversations, morning messages, and intentional reflection on 24 character strengths grounded in the science of positive psychology. These strengths—like kindness, curiosity, perseverance, and humility—aren’t just useful, they’re timeless. They have helped generations of people live purposeful, connected lives.

When students regularly engage with these ideas and talk with peers and teachers about what they mean, they begin to build the muscles necessary for self-reflection and ethical growth. They start to ask: What kind of person do I want to be? What does it mean to live a good life? How should I treat others, especially when no one is watching?

These are not algorithmic questions. They are human ones.

In The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle reminds us that we often confuse means with ends—chasing success, recognition, or even knowledge, without stopping to reflect on what life is for. AI can serve as a means, but it will never define the ends. It may assist our students in researching, writing, and analyzing—but it will never tell them who they should be.

Today’s students are fluent in the digital world but often disconnected from the timeless wisdom that helps people live meaningful lives. They are immersed in algorithms and endless content, but they haven’t always been given the opportunity to engage with the ideas and values that form the foundation of a purposeful life. This imbalance leaves many of them unmoored—drifting through feeds, absorbing messages about what matters—without ever pausing to ask if it’s true.

That’s why our job as educators and parents is not just to help students use AI wisely, but to help them grow into wise human beings. The Positivity Project can be a bridge between the skills of the digital world and the enduring virtues that give life meaning.

When we teach students about humility, they learn that it’s okay not to know everything—even in a world where answers are a click away. When we teach forgiveness, they learn that relationships are more important than being right. When we teach gratitude, they begin to see the abundance in their lives rather than what they lack. These are the lessons that anchor students in a time of rapid change.

As we welcome AI into our schools, let’s not lose sight of what matters most. Let’s raise young people who are not just smart, but good. Who are not just capable, but kind. Who are not just prepared for the future, but grounded in the wisdom of the past.

The rise of AI in education offers school districts a timely opportunity. But if we only respond with professional development in prompt engineering and not deep conversations about purpose, we will have missed the moment. The Positivity Project reminds us that character is not a luxury—it is the foundation. And in a world of artificial intelligence, our students will need real character more than ever.