Seemingly several lifetimes ago, there was a new marvel of technology—the internet. Most ordinary folks, even those who already were using computers in their everyday lives, struggled to understand what this tool was or how it could help them. They weren't sure what to call it: Should it be "the Internet" with a capital I? What about the "World Wide Web"? How is that different? And hey, what do you mean "it'll solve all my problems"?
Trust did not run high in those early days—the mid- to late 1990s and into the early 2000s. The highly volatile nature of the internet as a platform for making money and providing services only added to the reluctance and confusion. So did the frustrations of those who saw the web as a utility, not as a way for a local coffee shop to make money by charging for wifi.
It took several years, and plenty of ups and downs across every sector of society, for the idea of a world interconnected by machines to become generally accepted, and eventually embraced. Long-standing problems, especially concerning online privacy and access to technology, still remain unresolved from those early days. But it's unusual now for any person to have no virtual connections. If it's not exactly a state of trust, it's at least a choice that people can live with and make use of, routinely.
Enter AI. Suddenly, millions of people are back to asking those same fundamental questions that they had 30 years ago: What is artificial intelligence? What's it going to do for me? Why should I rely on it? How am I going to control it, rather than it controlling me?
While there are some indicators that this next major wave of technological change will settle in ways similar to what happened with the internet, it's clear that this time, we have a chance to do better in terms of awareness, comfort levels, access, and even social utility. Perhaps, this time, fewer people will feel left out of this tech evolution. But it will take effort—and that's where The University of Baltimore's Center for AI Learning and Community Engaged Innovation (CAILI) is focusing its efforts and expertise.
CAILI recently concluded its inaugural AI Navigators program, a month-long learning experience for Baltimore City residents 55 and older, organized through the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks and held in person at the Greenmount Recreation Center.
According to Dr. Jessica Stansbury, CAILI's founding director, the AI Navigators program was designed to "show participants what AI is, how to use it, when not to use it, and how to teach others in their community to interact with AI in a responsible way."
In this out-of-the-gate period we're in now, AI adoption is thought of as a problem to be overcome—an issue of technology, access, and training. But it's not that easy. Several intangibles affect every one of us when tiptoeing into something new. Trust is a major factor. So is relevance. A single negative conversation about something that happened to a complete stranger can undo real progress. The concerns that people have about AI in 2026 are completely valid. And they're complicated.
The AI Navigators approach, Stansbury says, is about socializing the technology, and developing layers of confidence that come from an authentic place. It's less textbook, more conversation. It's a gradual process, where outcomes matter a little less than attitudes.
Sydney Redford, CAILI's lead for community engagement, led the program.
"The goal of the AI Navigator program isn't to force people to use AI," she says. "It is to show how to use it responsibly and how to teach others in the community. Once we train the navigators, it becomes a domino effect; we teach them, then they go out to their community to share their insights and teach others."
Over a month, and within the scope of six hours of core learning, the nine community residents at the recreation center accumulated an impressive portfolio of skills, including key competencies, applied techniques, and even the ability to work through various use-case scenarios.
"This program had a 100 percent completion rate," Stansbury says.
"The human landscape remains the orienting lens throughout," Stansbury adds. "That's not a topic to be completed once and left behind."
At the end of the learning sessions, AI Navigators are seen as trusted guides who help people understand, evaluate, apply, question, and adapt to AI within the realities of work, learning, civic life, and community experience.
"They don't need to know every answer," she says, "They must know how to clarify a question, explain what matters, recognize limits, support responsible judgment, and connect people with appropriate resources. They determine what needs to be learned, and how to go about it."
The prioritized outcome, she says, is for anyone who goes through the process—individuals and communities—to have the confidence to engage with AI, to use it responsibly, and to evolve along with the technology. They've got best practices in their toolkit, and they're not beholden to one AI platform or another.
The result? A curriculum that builds the kind of infrastructure that relies on people, and their incredible capacity for helping others navigate this technology with confidence and awareness.
Dr. Stansbury notes that AI adoption is strikingly similar to those first years of the internet. Now, parents, educators, policymakers and developers must recognize that there is a way to avoid those past mistakes.
"We need to accept that AI can shape a person's judgment, their emotional well-being, and their development. We have to get this right."
After last month's successful launch of the AI Navigators program, CAILI's plans call for expanding the initiative to additional Baltimore City recreation centers, empowering the inaugural graduates to step into leadership roles as peer instructors for the next cohort launching in January of next year. Registration details will be announced in the coming weeks.