The other day, I found myself doing something I never imagined I’d do.
Asking ChatGPT for guidance about tomorrow, especially where our kids are concerned.
It wasn’t because I don’t trust my instincts in this area, but because I wanted to see what an AI would say about preparing children for… well, a world full of AI.
The question was fairly simple: “What skills will kids need to thrive in a world with AGI?”
The response came back instantly (AI is very fast). The skills list looked like this:
Empathy | Digital literacy | Cognitive skills | Social-emotional intelligence | Ethical reasoning | Critical thinking | Resilience
Looking at the list, I was struck by the idea that these weren’t revolutionary new capabilities designed for some sci-fi future. Frankly, they read like goals from our counselor training manuals from 1985. Or 1975. Or yesterday.
In a world where AI can code faster than humans, write better than most, and solve problems in seconds, there’s a looming question about our future. What makes our children irreplaceable?
What ensures they’ll matter when machines can do so much?
It’s something I think we’re handling as well as anyone out there.
The Changing Landscape
The headlines are hard to ignore.
Tech leaders warning about job displacement. Predictions of AI replacing entire categories of work. Entry-level positions vanishing overnight. The drumbeat of change grows louder each day and week.
The uncertainty is real. The pace of change feels breathtaking.
I’ve come to understand after turning this over in my mind for years (I’ve been giving talks about this for over a decade): I have no ability to affect the timeline of AGI. None of us do.
What we do have is the ability to shape the environment we’re creating for kids. To dial in our focus on what really matters, doubling down on the skills that will enable our kids to thrive no matter what the future holds.
It’s been happening every summer in the woods all over the country, in muddy kickball games, around campfires, through thousands of small moments of human connection.
The Uniquely Human List
Reading through ChatGPT’s response felt like deja vu.
These weren’t new skills at all. They were the same human qualities that have mattered since the beginning of time. The same ones my counselors modeled for me in 1973. The same ones we’ve been cultivating at K&E for generations.
The answer hasn’t shifted. It’s just sharpened.
We’ve always known these skills matter. Now we have new language and new urgency for why they’re irreplaceable.
No algorithm can replicate genuine human connection. No AI can model ethical courage in real time. No machine can build the kind of resilience that comes from failing, getting back up, and trying again with friends cheering you on.
The camp messiness, emotions, unpredictability, and joy are precisely the human traits we’ll need more than ever.
Camp as the Training Ground
At camp, these skills come alive.
There’s something powerful that happens when kids step into a different world for a while. When everything familiar falls away (the bedroom, the routine, the devices) something shifts. Brains become sponge-like. Kids stop tuning out their environment and start truly experiencing it.
Watch any moment of any summer day. Kids navigating conflicts face-to-face, not through screens. Counselors pivoting when rain cancels plans, turning disappointment into muddy and joyful chaos. A nervous performer taking the Hollowpalooza stage while the entire community leans in to support them.
The hero’s journey doesn’t happen in your living room with some ChatGPT prompts.
It happens when you’re standing at the edge of the zip line platform, heart pounding, with your whole cabin cheering below. It happens in moments of real challenge with real support. And once you’ve felt that surge of “I did it!” and internalized that belief in yourself, it becomes impossible to knock back.
We create this caring community where the rules are different.
Where being a good friend is the most important thing.
Where kindness actually matters. Where we don’t look for mistakes but instead for chances to celebrate.
This isn’t about replacing home or school. We create an environment where these skills flourish. Where kids can practice being their best selves before bringing those lessons back to their everyday lives.
Camp offers what the regular world can’t always provide: time to disconnect and reconnect, space to fail safely, and a community designed to celebrate growth over perfection.
The Bet on Humanity
If I were a betting person, I’d bet on qualities that are uniquely human.
I’d bet on the kid who learns to comfort a homesick bunkmate. On the counselor who stays up late helping someone practice for Hollowpalooza. On the connections forged in screen-free moments. On the confidence built through real challenges with soft landings.
I’d bet on your children.
Thank you for trusting us with them. For choosing this path when there are a million easier options. For believing that in a world of artificial intelligence, the most important thing we can cultivate is authentic humanity.
Summer 2025 isn’t just another camp season. It’s an investment in the irreplaceable qualities that will serve your children no matter what the future holds.
It’s a bet on their uniquely human potential.
And that’s a bet I’ll take every time.
Counting the days till our camp season begins,
Scott