Living at the edge of emerging technology
From Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators by Jeff Utecht & Tricia Friedman
March 30, 2026 · 32 min · Season 9 · Episode 341
About this episode
The episode explores the role of empathetic AI in understanding human experiences through story collection and its implications for educators.
What happens when we stop asking AI to do everything faster and start asking how it might help us understand people better? In this episode, Jeff sits down with Andy Sitison, CTO of Share More Stories , for a conversation about empathetic AI, story collection, and why trust may be the real differentiator in the next phase of technology. Andy shares how his work uses AI not just as a productivity tool, but as a way to surface patterns in human experience by gathering and analyzing stories from real people. Together, they explore what gets lost when efficiency becomes the main goal, why intent matters so much in AI use, and what educators can learn from the way thoughtful organizations listen to communities. Andy explains how story-based analysis can reveal not only answers, but better questions, helping leaders move beyond surveys and toward a deeper understanding of what people are actually feeling and needing. The conversation also turns to schools. Jeff and Andy discuss why educators are often well positioned to use AI well, especially when the goal is support rather than replacement. From drafting difficult parent emails to making sense of complex data sets, Andy argues that…
People in this episode
Host: Jeff Utecht
Guest: Andy Sitison
Topics covered
- empathetic AI
- story collection
- trust in technology
- education
- AI in schools
- human experience
Keywords
- AI
- education
- storytelling
- trust
- human experience
- technology
- communication
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Share More Stories
More episodes of Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
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- What we learn when we listen to students · April 26, 2026 · 16 min
- The Business of You with Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio · April 20, 2026 · 34 min
- Sara Amini: The Stories We Carry and the Friends Who See Them · April 13, 2026 · 24 min
- Why Friendship Is Serious Business for Kids and Adults · April 6, 2026 · 24 min
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