Welcome to my Substack!

ABOUT ME: I’m a writer, researcher (PhD), and speaker exploring how AI is reshaping our attention, emotions, and relationships. I spent years working in education and technology, focused on how people learn and how tools can help. Over time, I began to see what those same tools were quietly taking away.

I’m also a mom of two kids, which makes this work deeply personal. I think a lot about the world they’re growing up in, what kind of focus, curiosity, and imagination they’ll inherit, and how we protect the parts of childhood that can’t be optimized.

I live in Colorado, where I run, climb, and try to stay connected to real things.

What You’ll Find Here

This space looks at AI not as a tool or a threat, but as a new kind of social and psychological force that is reshaping how we form attention, attachment, and identity from childhood onward. My goal isn’t to predict the future of technology but to understand what it is quietly doing to the texture of everyday life.

You’ll find essays on:
- How AI is changing the emotional and cognitive development of children
- What the attention economy is teaching us about love, learning, and worth
- How optimization culture erodes presence and how to rebuild it
- The moral frontier where parenting, technology, and psychology meet

Speaking and Consulting

I lead keynotes, workshops, and advising for educators and policymakers on AI’s impact on learning and wellbeing. For inquiries: hello@mandymclean.com

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