**The Human Skills are important for the Age of AI - the need for EELS (SEL)!**

 As the Age of AI progresses over the next decade, and humans, especially our young people (today's middle school and high school students), are adapting to this world of advanced AI and robotics, I and many others believe we must be strong in the uniquely human skills - things the machines will not be good at. 

The 'human skills' I have in mind are primarily linked through what I call EELS, or Everyday Essential Life Skills, which come from what is commonly called SEL, for Social-Emotional Learning. Most of SEL has been defined for decades by the CASEL group, which defines the five competencies of SEL: self-awareness, self management, social awareness, responsible decision making, and forming healthy relationships. I include two additional proposed competencies by two SEL legends, Drs. Ed Dunkelblau and Maurice Elias: Positive Purpose, and Healthy skepticism. 

The skills that fall under these competencies form EELS. 

How are EELS and AI, robotics linked when it comes to schools and society preparing our young people for the Age of AI? Here are some resources I developed, through the use of AI (ChatGPT 5.5), that are primarily for educators of all grade levels and subject areas. These provide numerous ideas of how to make use of EELS in and out of the classroom, and why these become essential when we realize our young people must become the responsible stewards of advanced technologies. 

- Ethics Needed for Students in the AI Era                                                                

- Using EELS (i.e. SEL) to Prepare the AI Generation 

- Preparing Globally Responsible Stewards of AI and Robotics: K-12 UN SDG Project Ideas 

For anyone interested in seeing outlines and ideas of what full-year courses could look like for preparing our kids for their technology-heavy futures, here are examples of how core subjects areas could embed not only technical skills for appropriate, ethical use of AI, but also how EELS can be integrated throughout the year. 

To get ideas of what full-year courses look like in the core subjects areas, where AI Preparation is embedded in the courses, check these out.

In the end, EELS should be placed on the same level of teaching and learning in our educational system as the core academic knowledge and skills; combined, these can help lead us to a pro-human pathway for the inclusion of AI and robotics in our lives.  It is important we begin to do more of this inclusion of EELS (SEL), not less! This is effectively an application of the following Martin Luther King, Jr. quote about education needing to include good character: