AI Anxiety Is Real. Communities of Practice Can Help

Does AI push people toward isolation, or is isolation a choice? How can communities of practice accelerate AI literacy and learning? When educators learn AI in isolation, they struggle. But when they come together in communities of practice, that's where the magic happens. This expert panel explores how AI anxiety drives people to learn alone, why accountability and human connection can't be replaced by chatbots, and how the tech industry must design AI products that foster genuine community rather than deepen our digital isolation. This is a key takeaway from our Insight Jam LIVE! 2025 panel, "Personalized Learning, Collective Wisdom: AI + Communities as the New Classroom". Check out the full discussion here: https://youtu.be/EAnSJzVotiE Join the Insight Jam today! — https://insightjam.com/ • PANELISTS • Monica Higgins https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicadhiggins/ AI Training and Strategy Expert, FuturProof Courtney Bock https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneybock/ AI Implementation Specialist, Mead School District Johnny Gabriele https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnny-gabriele-8791a634/ Founder, Daedalus Partners Priya Sarathy https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyasarathy/ Founder, Wheel Data Strategies Stephen Arthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-arthur/ Director of AI and Analytics, ECPI University Walker Williams https://www.linkedin.com/in/walk3r/ Director of Learning and Development, Goodway Group • CHAPTERS • 0:00 Communities of Practice vs. Learning AI in Isolation 1:44 AI Anxiety and the Fear of Being Behind 2:12 Algorithms Have Been Isolating Us Since the 2000s 3:36 Can AI Products Be Designed to Build Community? 5:13 The Anthropomorphism Problem: When AI Becomes Your Only Friend 6:49 Teaching Responsibility and the Limits of Chatbot Accountability 8:00 Community as Connective Tissue in AI Learning 11:26 Remote Work and the Need for Intentional Connection