As Boston Public Schools moves to introduce AI literacy districtwide, Rooted examines what artificial intelligence education really means for Black and brown students whose futures are being reshaped by automation. Host Paris Austin speaks with a former Department of Labor innovation leader and a Harvard labor economist about whether AI literacy is becoming a baseline requirement for economic survival, how algorithmic bias and surveillance threaten equity, and why both white‑collar and blue‑collar jobs are being transformed at the task level. The conversation challenges schools to rethink assessments, creativity, and workforce preparation—asking whether AI education will simply help students survive inside existing systems, or give them the power to reshape and own the future economy.

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