Inside Philanthropy | AI & Human Connections

Philanthropy Can — and Must — Protect Human Connection in the Age of AI

Michelle Barsa, Guest Contributor | September 11, 2025

“Belonging is built in the messiness of human interaction — from disagreements that force us to consider other perspectives to everyday exchanges that bond us with our neighbors and communities. At Omidyar Network, our work on social connection with partners like Noēsis Collaborative and The Rithm Project, among others, has revealed a key tension: Belonging optimizes for the collective, while technology optimizes for the individual. As AI companions draw us inward into one-on-one relationships with machines, they risk draining energy from these shared ties. 

This is not just a question for engineers or regulators, but for philanthropy as well: How do we safeguard the human connections that make belonging possible in an era of machine companionship? Funders have both the tools and responsibility to intervene.

Specifically, philanthropy can seed and support new norms, ethical standards and legislated guidelines for when, how and for whom AI companionship is appropriate — especially for children. Just as funders once supported anti-tobacco campaigns or data privacy standards, they can now lay the groundwork for norms and protections that define responsible AI. 

Philanthropies can also build and support new tools and independent research to better understand the broad spectrum of possible harms, from direct risks like suicide to more subtle effects on empathy and belonging — and hold platforms accountable. And philanthropies can elevate stories like Adam’s — and so many more — to shift how we understand tech’s role in our emotional lives, how we view our collective power to shape how that tech is governed, and how we might act now to protect the social ties that let each of us thrive. 

There is broad agreement that generative AI will reshape our future. What remains unknown is how. That answer cannot be left to engineers or investors alone. It should be shaped by all of us — by the norms we set, the policies we demand and the values we refuse to compromise. 

Philanthropy has a critical role to play in making this happen. If we get this right, we can prevent a future where Silicon Valley profit dictates human intimacy — and preserve the skills, habits and social ties that enable all of us to belong.

Michelle Barsa is a Principal at Omidyar Network.”