A practical path for teachers, student learners, student entrepreneurs, adult up-skillers, and solo pros—focused on quick wins, ethical use, and portfolio-ready projects.

EU AI Act: GPAI rules start (Aug 2, 2025)

The EU’s AI Act has moved from headlines to homework. As of August 2, 2025, providers placing general-purpose AI (GPAI) models on the EU market must meet new transparency and copyright-related obligations—and “systemic-risk” models face additional safety duties. Models that were already on the market before that date get until August 2, 2027 to comply.

Even if you’re US-based, these rules shape vendor roadmaps, product features, research disclosures, and the documentation your classrooms and nonprofits will rely on.

Why it matters for Incubator.org: this is the way forwards to teach AI Literacy + Safety & Well-Being with real artifacts (model specs, training disclosures, eval notes) and to prep Arizona teams for cross-border projects. We’ll translate the law into checklists teachers, program leads, and student teams can actually use.

Learning AI isn't optional anymore. We need to learn how to optimize our use. We need to prepare communities, students, and families not just how to keep up with technology, but to lead with it.

Digital literacy is the new reading and writing. It is important to engage with AI thoughtfully, creatively and safely. We already use AI when we use Siri, watch a show that Netflix recommends, or use a chatbot to get help online. 

There's a lot of concern about the potential job loss with AI, but the truth is more nuanced. AI is transforming work, not replacing it. But transforming it is and at a rapid pace. The people who will thrive in this new era will know how to use AI; how to prompt, question and work alongside it.

Knowing how to use AI tools builds skills in critical thinking, communication, and digital collaboration.

Of course it isn't all upside. It can also spread misinformation, reinforce bias or trick people into sharing their personal data. That's why AI education must include cyber-security; the ability to tell what's real what's generated, and how to stay secure online. Teaching digital wisdom is as important as teaching digital skills.

When a student helps a grandparent understand a new AI-powered app, or a parent uses AI to help their child with homework, a multi-generational learning community is born - one that values curiosity, collaboration, and mutual respect. And when users know how to stay safe, they don't just adapt to the digital world, they shape it.

further reading:

OECD, Holmes et al. (2019) educational case studies on critical thinking skills involved with prompt crafting, evaluating outputs, questioning AI generated content

MIT RAISE, British Journal of Educational Technology; case studies on communication skills involved with prompt writing, receiving feedback, refining language/tone

WEF, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, studies of digital collaboration skills such as Group use of AI tools, co-creation, peer review in tech environments

Developmental psychologist Howard Gardner proposed a theory that challenged the traditional notion of intelligence as a single IQ score. Instead, he identified nine distinct types of intelligence, each representing a different way of understanding and interacting with the world. This theory, called Multiple Intelligences, helps explain the diversity in learning styles, talents, and personal growth.