AI is not the future. It’s the present. It’s here, it’s powerful, and it’s reshaping the world faster than any tool we’ve seen in decades. And just like any powerful tool, AI can do incredible things—if people know how to use it.

Think about a construction job site. When power tools or backhoes arrived, nobody said, “Let’s pretend these don’t exist and use hand saws and shovels instead.” Nobody locked them in a closet because they might be dangerous. People learned to use them. They learned the risks. And then they built bigger, stronger, better things than ever before.

AI is the same. It’s a power tool for every job. It helps us think faster. Write faster. Solve faster. Build faster. And yes, if someone doesn’t learn how to use it, there are risks. But here’s the truth we all need to face:

People are going to use AI whether or not they are trained.

We can stand in front of the tidal wave and yell “Stop!” Or we can teach people how to surf.

At Hopeworks, we see young adults using AI every single day. They’re using it for writing portfolios, debugging code, preparing for interviews, starting businesses, and leveling up at work. They’re not waiting for permission. They’re using the tools that exist today to build the futures they want tomorrow.

And that’s exactly why restricting AI—especially in classrooms, training programs, and workforce settings—is not just misguided. It’s harmful.

If you are an educator, a leader, a trainer, or anyone responsible for preparing people for their next step, I want to say something clearly:

If you’re hesitant to teach or use AI, please get out of the way.

That may sound harsh, but it’s the truth. The next generation deserves every tool we can give them. They deserve to understand AI, to test it, to break it, to push it, and to shape how it’s used. They deserve to learn how to use this new power safely, creatively, and responsibly.

What they don’t deserve is for us—older leaders—to hold them back because we’re nervous about what might happen. We had our chance. We got to explore the tools of our time. Now it’s their turn to build the world they want.

Here’s the choice in front of us:

We can deny people access to AI and watch the digital divide grow even faster.

Or we can put these tools in their hands and help them leapfrog over that divide entirely.

At Hopeworks, we know which choice we’re making. We’re all in. We’re teaching AI. We’re embracing it. And we’re standing beside young adults as they use it to change their lives and their communities.

The world is moving. AI is moving. And the next generation is ready.

Let’s stop slowing them down.

Let’s hand them the power tools.

And let’s watch what they build.