Future-ready Teens: Part 3 – The AI Skills They’ll Need (and How to Learn Them Now)

This is the third article in our series for parents raising future-fit teens.

In Part 1, we explored practical hand skills — the hands-on abilities that build competence and confidence.

In Part 2, we focused on professional skills — the career-specific knowledge teens need in fields like law, economics, and engineering.

Now in Part 3, we turn to AI skills, the tools that future-ready teens (and all of us) must learn to use fluently for our future careers.

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Not just gaming, but learning through play, mastering the tools of tomorrow.

The Wielder Of The Tool Unlocks The Tool

A tool is a tool is a tool. It’s the person using the tool who makes the difference.

If Frieda and Michelangelo stand before a block of marble, one might release David, and the other might just hit her toe.

You can hand anyone ChatGPT, Suno, Manus, or InVideo, but only the person who understands how these tools actually work will create something meaningful.

Because AI isn’t magic. It’s a skill. And it’s one we build by using the tools, trying things — and yes, by playing.

Our skills evolve as we evolve. And AI is evolving right alongside us.

Learning Through Play

So what does the future of work look like? Say your teen wants to be a pilot. Maybe they won’t sit in a cockpit at all. Maybe they’ll manage drones and aircraft remotely with AI copilots and predictive navigation tools.

A great place for them to start familiarising themselves with AI copiloting is to play Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, available on Xbox and PC. It includes a career mode with real aviation missions like aerial firefighting, search-and-rescue, and cargo drops. Teens can learn aviation language, multitasking, and strategic decision-making, all while playing.

Other tools I'm learning and loving for career preparation and growth include:

• Suno AI: Create original songs. Builds creative prompting and voice design.

• ChatGPT / Gemini: Summarise schoolwork, explain tough ideas to a five-year-old, and learn how to ask better questions.

• InVideo: Turn ideas into short, polished videos.

• Manus: Build apps, automate tasks, and explore coding with real-world feedback.

• AI trip planners / resume builders / task helpers: Tools for life that sharpen thinking along the way.

These aren’t just toys. They’re the training wheels for a future none of us can fully imagine. And the best part is that we can play ourselves smart.