Weylin Gomez was working as an IT manager when he received a call from his elderly relatives: They had lost $10,000 in a cryptocurrency scam.

“The first thing they asked me was ‘Can we get the money back?’ I didn’t really know what to tell them. I didn’t understand the full scope, but I knew enough to say ‘probably not,’” said Gomez, a 30-year-old resident of Washington, Pa.

The experience prompted Gomez to begin developing a business focused on protecting seniors from online scams and AI-generated deepfakes. It also brought him to a recent two-hour introduction to artificial intelligence workshop offered by Literacy Pittsburgh.

“In order to help assist the individuals that I’m working with for my business, I wanted to get a better understanding of where the general information was,” Gomez said.

Other participants arrived with different concerns. Three said they wanted to learn how AI could help them apply for jobs. Two wanted to become better at distinguishing real information from fabricated content online.

They ranged in age but shared a recognition that AI is increasingly shaping daily life, and a desire to better understand how to use it without being misled by it.

The workshop is part of a new AI literacy curriculum developed by PittCyber and introduced in June. It covers potential uses of AI as well as its limitations and risks and is being used by organizations in Pittsburgh, across Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the country.

“Everybody can use AI,” said Alev Kerenciler, who teaches the workshops at Literacy Pittsburgh. But she cautioned participants to approach it as a limited tool, not a solution for every situation.

Kerenciler works with students from a range of backgrounds, including recent immigrants learning how AI might assist them in applying for jobs. Her aim, she said, is not to have AI produce a resume or cover letter for them, but to teach them how to ask useful questions and evaluate the answers.

During the workshop, she demonstrated how participants could use AI to find healthy recipes or plan a trip. She also warned them against relying on a chatbot as a companion or mental health professional.

Throughout the session, Kerenciler walked a line between showing participants where AI might be helpful and where it could cause harm.

Building trust and sharing power

Elise Silva, director of policy research at PittCyber, said the curriculum is intended to give people basic skills and vocabulary for understanding a technology that can otherwise feel intimidating.

“It can be scary unless you have some basic skills and some basic vocabulary to work with, and then it becomes a little bit less scary if you feel like you can talk about it,” Silva said. “So … it’s an issue of being informed, it’s an issue of power at the end of the day.”

AI companies including Anthropic and OpenAI offer their own educational resources, but Silva said public institutions and community organizations also have an important role to play.

“What individuals and communities are looking for is somebody that they can trust. And they’re not sure right now if they can trust big tech,” she said.

In developing the curriculum, Silva and her colleagues consulted community organizations about what residents needed to know. The resulting material is intended for use across generations, from preteens to seniors.

The curriculum now reaches organizations across Pennsylvania, including the Pennsylvania Library Association, according to PittCyber. The Henry L. Hillman Foundation* helped fund its development.

Alexandra Taylor, a program officer at the foundation, said the project was designed for people of different ages and levels of technological experience.

Silva said expanding access to emerging technologies is not enough on its own. People also need the skills to use those technologies safely, responsibly and with an understanding of their limits.

The project flows from PittCyber’s interest in cultivating what Silva called “civic resilience” among people of diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Preparing younger students

Other Pittsburgh-area organizations are also trying to ensure that AI skills are not limited to people who already have access to new technology.

STEM Coding Lab is developing an AI fluency curriculum for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, with plans to offer it in districts including Sto-Rox, Duquesne City and Clairton.

“It is part of their life already, whether they ask for it or don’t ask for it,” said Jason Hivner, the organization’s director of program development.

Younger students will begin with concepts such as pattern recognition, while older students will learn about generative AI. Hivner said the goal is to prepare students for a workforce in which AI is likely to play a growing role.

The organization also hosted an August camp for middle school students that included a lesson on AI and machine learning. A guest speaker discussed how they use AI in their work, and students developed ideas for a “future-ready city park” that included an AI-connected component such as using machine learning to recognize crowds in the park.

Hivner said STEM Coding Lab seeks state and foundation support to offer its programs at little or no cost to families.

Access through trusted institutions

Adam Paulisick, a technology entrepreneur and Carnegie Mellon University professor, described AI as a potentially powerful tool for expanding access to information and helping people make decisions.

Teaching AI alongside fundamental life skills, he said, could help people better understand financial responsibility, navigate complex processes and explore subjects they may not encounter in school.

But for residents encountering AI in job applications, online scams or everyday searches, the first step may be more basic: finding a trusted place to ask questions.

Jennifer Blatz, program director for the Greater Pittsburgh Digital Inclusion Alliance, said libraries, nonprofits and other community institutions can help people navigate a technological landscape that is changing faster than many residents can follow.

“If there isn’t some trusted partner like a library or a nonprofit or some kind of community anchor institution to help coach them through these processes, it’s just the wild west,” Blatz said.

Ada Perlman is an editorial intern at Pittsburgh’s Public Source. She can be reached at ada@publicsource.org. 

This story was fact checked by Feixu Chen.

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Pittsburgh groups teach AI skills, including when not to use them

by Ada Perlman, Pittsburgh's Public Source
August 13, 2026

<h1>Pittsburgh groups teach AI skills, including when not to use them</h1> <p class="byline">by Ada Perlman, Pittsburgh's Public Source <br />August 13, 2026</p> <p>Weylin Gomez was working as an IT manager when he received a call from his elderly relatives: They had lost $10,000 in a cryptocurrency scam.</p> <p>“The first thing they asked me was ‘Can we get the money back?’ I didn't really know what to tell them. I didn't understand the full scope, but I knew enough to say ‘probably not,’” said Gomez, a 30-year-old resident of Washington, Pa.</p> <p>The experience prompted Gomez to begin developing a business focused on protecting seniors from online scams and AI-generated deepfakes. It also brought him to a recent two-hour introduction to artificial intelligence workshop offered by Literacy Pittsburgh.</p> <p>“In order to help assist the individuals that I'm working with for my business, I wanted to get a better understanding of where the general information was,” Gomez said.</p> <p>Other participants arrived with different concerns. Three said they wanted to learn how AI could help them apply for jobs. Two wanted to become better at distinguishing real information from fabricated content online.</p> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignright"> <blockquote> <p><a href="#programlist" data-type="internal" data-id="#programlist"><em>See upcoming local AI programs</em></a></p> </blockquote> </figure> <p>They ranged in age but shared a recognition that AI is increasingly shaping daily life, and a desire to better understand how to use it without being misled by it.</p> <p>The workshop is part of a new AI literacy curriculum developed by PittCyber and introduced in June. It covers potential uses of AI as well as its limitations and risks and is being used by organizations in Pittsburgh, across Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the country.</p> <p>“Everybody can use AI,” said Alev Kerenciler, who teaches the workshops at Literacy Pittsburgh. But she cautioned participants to approach it as a limited tool, not a solution for every situation.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://www.publicsource.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260730_JasonAlpertWisnia_AI_Literacy_5-1-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1336264" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Alev Kerenciler stands in a Pittsburgh Literacy classroom on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Downtown. (Photo by Jason Alpert-Wisnia/Pittsburgh’s Public Source)</figcaption></figure> <p>Kerenciler works with students from a range of backgrounds, including recent immigrants learning how AI might assist them in applying for jobs. Her aim, she said, is not to have AI produce a resume or cover letter for them, but to teach them how to ask useful questions and evaluate the answers.</p> <p>During the workshop, she demonstrated how participants could use AI to find healthy recipes or plan a trip. She also warned them against relying on a chatbot as a companion or mental health professional.</p> <p>Throughout the session, Kerenciler walked a line between showing participants where AI might be helpful and where it could cause harm.</p> <h2 id="h-building-trust-and-sharing-power" class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Building trust and sharing power</strong></h2> <p>Elise Silva, director of policy research at PittCyber, said the curriculum is intended to give people basic skills and vocabulary for understanding a technology that can otherwise feel intimidating.</p> <p>“It can be scary unless you have some basic skills and some basic vocabulary to work with, and then it becomes a little bit less scary if you feel like you can talk about it,” Silva said. “So … it's an issue of being informed, it’s an issue of power at the end of the day.”</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://www.publicsource.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260731_JasonAlpertWisnia_AI_Literacy_16-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1336265" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Elise Silva, Director of Policy Research at Pitt Cyber, stands outside of the University of Pittsburgh’s Barco Law Building on Friday, July 31, 2026, in Oakland. (Photo by Jason Alpert-Wisnia/Pittsburgh’s Public Source)</figcaption></figure> <p>AI companies including <a href="https://www.anthropic.com/learn">Anthropic </a>and <a href="https://academy.openai.com/">OpenAI </a>offer their own educational resources, but Silva said public institutions and community organizations also have an important role to play.</p> <p>“What individuals and communities are looking for is somebody that they can trust. And they're not sure right now if they can trust big tech,” she said.</p> <p>In developing the curriculum, Silva and her colleagues consulted community organizations about what residents needed to know. The resulting material is intended for use across generations, from preteens to seniors.</p> <p>The curriculum now reaches organizations across Pennsylvania, including the Pennsylvania Library Association, according to PittCyber. The Henry L. Hillman Foundation* helped fund its development.</p> <p>Alexandra Taylor, a program officer at the foundation, said the project was designed for people of different ages and levels of technological experience.</p> <p>Silva said expanding access to emerging technologies is not enough on its own. People also need the skills to use those technologies safely, responsibly and with an understanding of their limits.</p> <p>The project flows from PittCyber’s interest in cultivating what Silva called “civic resilience” among people of diverse backgrounds and experiences.</p> <h2 id="h-preparing-younger-students" class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Preparing younger students</strong></h2> <p>Other Pittsburgh-area organizations are also trying to ensure that AI skills are not limited to people who already have access to new technology.</p> <p>STEM Coding Lab is developing an AI fluency curriculum for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, with plans to offer it in districts including Sto-Rox, Duquesne City and Clairton.</p> <p>“It is part of their life already, whether they ask for it or don’t ask for it,” said Jason Hivner, the organization’s director of program development.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://www.publicsource.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260721citizensciastem1769-1-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1336267" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Fourth grader Natalie Depietro participates in STEM Coding Lab's summer program in South Park on July 21, 2026. (Photo courtesy of STEM Coding Lab)</figcaption></figure> <p>Younger students will begin with concepts such as pattern recognition, while older students will learn about generative AI. Hivner said the goal is to prepare students for a workforce in which AI is likely to play a growing role.</p> <p>The organization also hosted an August camp for middle school students that included a lesson on AI and machine learning. A guest speaker discussed how they use AI in their work, and students developed ideas for a “future-ready city park” that included an AI-connected component such as using machine learning to recognize crowds in the park.</p> <p>Hivner said STEM Coding Lab seeks state and foundation support to offer its programs at little or no cost to families.</p> <h2 id="h-access-through-trusted-institutions" class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Access through trusted institutions</strong></h2> <p>Adam Paulisick, a technology entrepreneur and Carnegie Mellon University professor, described AI as a potentially powerful tool for expanding access to information and helping people make decisions.</p> <p>Teaching AI alongside fundamental life skills, he said, could help people better understand financial responsibility, navigate complex processes and explore subjects they may not encounter in school.</p> <p>But for residents encountering AI in job applications, online scams or everyday searches, the first step may be more basic: finding a trusted place to ask questions.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://www.publicsource.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260731_JasonAlpertWisnia_AI_Literacy_10-1-1-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1336273" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A printed copy of a conversation guide around Gen AI in the Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security office at the University of Pittsburgh’s Barco Law Building on Friday, July 31, 2026, in Oakland. (Photo by Jason Alpert-Wisnia/Pittsburgh’s Public Source)</figcaption></figure> <p>Jennifer Blatz, program director for the Greater Pittsburgh Digital Inclusion Alliance, said libraries, nonprofits and other community institutions can help people navigate a technological landscape that is changing faster than many residents can follow.</p> <p>“If there isn't some trusted partner like a library or a nonprofit or some kind of community anchor institution to help coach them through these processes, it's just the wild west,” Blatz said.</p> <div class="wp-block-group"> <p><em>*The Henry L. Hillman Foundation provides funding to Public Source.</em></p> </p></div> <p><em>Ada Perlman is an editorial intern at Pittsburgh’s Public Source. She can be reached at </em><a href="mailto:ada@publicsource.org"><em>ada@publicsource.org</em></a><em>.&nbsp;</em></p> <p id="programlist"><em>This story was fact checked by</em> <em>Feixu Chen</em>.</p> <div class="wp-block-group is-style-default has-secondary-background-color has-background"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-center" id="h-upcoming-local-ai-programs"><strong>Upcoming local AI programs</strong></h3> <h4 id="infobox-title" class="wp-block-heading">Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh</h4> <ul style="font-size:18px" class="wp-block-list"> <li>Sept. 15 — AI Basics<br />An introduction to artificial intelligence and how it is used.<br /><a href="https://www.carnegielibrary.org/event/ai-basics/">Event details</a></li> <li>Sept. 29 — Writing Effective Prompts for AI<br />Learn how to write clearer, more useful instructions for AI tools.<br /><a href="https://www.carnegielibrary.org/event/writing-effective-prompts-for-artificial-intelligence-ai-2/">Event details</a></li> <li>Oct. 6 — Researching with AI<br />Explore how AI tools can be used in research.<br /><a href="https://www.carnegielibrary.org/event/researching-with-artificial-intelligence-ai-3/">Event details</a></li> </ul> <h4 id="h-carnegie-mellon-university-ai-institute-for-societal-decision-making" class="wp-block-heading">Carnegie Mellon University AI Institute for Societal Decision Making</h4> <ul style="font-size:18px" class="wp-block-list"> <li>Sept. 1 — AI in the Classroom<br /><a href="https://www.carnegielibrary.org/events/list/?tribe-bar-search=Societal+Decision+Making">Event details</a></li> <li>Oct. 20 — Beyond the Chatbot<br /><a href="https://www.carnegielibrary.org/events/list/?tribe-bar-search=Societal+Decision+Making">Event details</a></li> <li>Nov. 17 — AI and the Ethics of Art<br /><a href="https://www.carnegielibrary.org/events/list/?tribe-bar-search=Societal+Decision+Making">Event details</a></li> </ul> <h4 id="h-for-more-information-and-resources-visit" class="wp-block-heading">For more information and resources, visit:</h4> <ul style="font-size:18px" class="wp-block-list"> <li>Literacy Pittsburgh’s list of <a href="https://www.literacypittsburgh.org/allegheny-computer-classes/">upcoming classes</a></li> <li>PittCyber for <a href="https://www.cyber.pitt.edu/initiatives/digital-survival-skills">digital survival skills</a></li> </ul></div> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-ai-skills-misinformation-scam-concern/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.publicsource.org&quot;&gt;Pittsburgh&#039;s Public Source&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/www.publicsource.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-ps_circle_favicon_blue.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://www.publicsource.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=1336262&amp;amp;ga4=G-CCLXQK5C14&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-ai-skills-misinformation-scam-concern/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/publicsource.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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