Using AI to Level the Advocacy Playing Field

I want to start by being very clear about my own position. I was skeptical about using AI in advocacy, and I still am. That skepticism is intentional.

I have written before about the limitations and risks of AI. It can reflect bias. It can be inaccurate. It can sound confident while being wrong. AI systems are trained on existing data and power structures, which means they can reproduce the same inequities many families are already navigating. If you do not understand the issue you are asking about, or the legal and policy context underneath it, AI can easily lead you astray.

There are also practical risks. AI can oversimplify complex situations. It can suggest language that sounds professional but misses critical details. It can soften concerns to the point that the substance is lost. When families are already worried about being misunderstood or dismissed, this matters. AI is not a neutral or perfect tool, and it should never be treated as authoritative.

AI is not a substitute for knowing your rights.

And it is not a substitute for lived experience, judgment, or strategy.

But for families who are already stretched thin, it can be a support.

I have watched parents who had no idea where to start 

use AI to help them draft an email. Not to fabricate claims. Not to escalate unnecessarily. But to organize their thoughts, reduce the cognitive load, and find a starting point.

For many families, the barrier is not understanding that something is wrong.
The barrier is language and time.

What do I say?
How do I say it without being labeled difficult?
How do I do this at all when I am already overwhelmed?

This is where AI, used carefully and critically, can help.

But only if you know how to use it.

The language you use matters.
Words like disability, protected characteristic, and accommodations are not just descriptive. They are legal anchors. They signal rights. They shift obligations. They change how a message is received and how it must be responded to.

AI does not automatically know that. You have to tell it.

You have to guide it.
You have to feed it accurate information.
You have to ask it to use specific language with purpose.

And even then, the first draft is never the final draft.

You still have to read it.
Edit it.
Clarify it.
Make sure it is accurate and reflects what actually happened and what you are actually asking for.

Used this way, AI is not about convenience or cutting corners. It is about reducing barriers, conserving limited energy, and protecting rights in systems that already demand far too much from families.

Think of it as scaffolding, not the building itself.

And if you think teachers are not using it on the other end, think again.