What We Heard
Before we ran a single workshop, we listened. Then we ran four.
The tools exist. The access doesn’t.
The workforce is changing. AI is reshaping the skills every job requires. And the people coming home from incarceration — already navigating employment barriers, housing instability, and the collateral consequences of a record — are being asked to compete in a market that barely welcomed them before AI changed everything.
There is currently no structured AI literacy program inside U.S. correctional facilities. Not one that teaches these tools, addresses the specific needs of people in reentry, and prepares them for what the job market now requires.
That’s the gap Ours to Build exists to fill.
60–75%
of formerly incarcerated individuals remain unemployed one year after release
Center for American Progress
39%
of worker skills will be disrupted by AI by 2030
World Economic Forum
~0
structured AI literacy programs exist in U.S. correctional facilities
Useful — but not for us.
The most striking finding from our research wasn’t that people hadn’t used AI. Most had. And most found it genuinely helpful — one of the most helpful tools they’d encountered for research, writing, and working through problems. But nearly three in five said they didn’t feel these tools were made with them in mind.
said they didn’t feel these tools were made with them in mind
Pre-program questionnaire — n=26, 92% justice-impacted
In their words
“I believe these apps are made for me because they don't show the bias that many people show. I live in Cleveland, Ohio and there are 2,679 Collateral Sanctions.”
Survey respondent, Cleveland, OH
“Based on the nature of the apps, as I've shared my justice-impacted status, I've curated my GPT to incorporate my unique circumstances into the responses and suggestions.”
Survey respondent, Columbus, OH
“My lived experience teaches me to get ahead of the wave of all future technology in order to be more than a last resort option on any level.”
Survey respondent
“I utilize them to fill the gaps of knowledge I have missed.”
Survey respondent
“They regurgitate societal bias... Had someone else who wasn't informed on the actual data asked this same question they would have taken on a belief that was completely false.”
Survey respondent
Four rooms. Two states. Something kept showing up.
Between January and April 2026, AI Futures delivered four workshops across two states — First Step Friday and CBCF in Columbus, RISE Court in Franklin County, and the Hinda Institute in Chicago. Roughly 116 participants in total. The signal was consistent: people found the material useful, felt more confident using AI tools, and overwhelmingly asked for more.
Workshop Satisfaction Scores
First Step Friday Jan 2026 & Hinda Institute Apr 2026 (n=22)
4.64
Confidence applying learnings
4.64
Understanding of AI
4.50
Will use ChatGPT more
4.73
Content felt relevant
Session by session
First Step Friday
Columbus, OH · January 9, 2026 · n = 16
- 4.63 / 5 relevance — highest of the Ohio sessions
- 94% said yes or maybe to more workshops
- 75% said the workshop would be valuable for incarcerated people
Franklin County CBCF
Columbus, OH · March 26, 2026 · n = 58
- Largest single session AI Futures has run
- 81% wanted more sessions
- 93% said the workshop would be valuable for incarcerated people — from inside
Franklin County RISE
Columbus, OH · April 14, 2026 · n ≈ 35
- Mental health specialty docket; surveys not returned
- Roughly half had heard of AI; one in four knew ChatGPT
- Engagement was reserved but substantive — questions focused on reentry use
Hinda Institute
Chicago, IL · April 23, 2026 · n = 6 of 7
- 5.00 confidence, 5.00 understanding, 5.00 relevance; 4.83 will use ChatGPT more
- 100% said yes to more sessions; 100% said valuable for incarcerated
- Facilitated by Isaac Yampolsky — first session not led by Jacob
What participants said
“I understand it a lot better. I would work with you on this and your journey.”
First Step Friday participant, January 2026
“Improved knowledge of how ChatGPT works and how it can help me in the future.”
First Step Friday participant, January 2026
“The information was easy to comprehend and provided a lot of detail.”
First Step Friday participant, January 2026
“I appreciate Jacob Cohen finding the courage to share his workshop. I plan on starting my own business — a housing company to sublease to recovery programs. I want to be the solution instead of the problem.”
CBCF participant, March 2026
“I was very impressed with the depth. I have this feeling of being useful in the ‘real’ world for guys like me.”
CBCF participant, March 2026
“The presenter was amazing, clear, and patient.”
Hinda Institute participant, April 2026
“Clear, deliberate presentation with sufficient space for questions.”
Hinda Institute participant, April 2026
“Isaac's presentation was awesome. Nothing needs improvements at this time.”
Hinda Institute participant, April 2026
Across four sessions and roughly 116 participants, average confidence ran near 89%. Among CBCF respondents answering from inside, 89% said the workshop would be valuable for incarcerated people. And at Hinda — the only session not facilitated by Jacob — every respondent asked for more. The clearest signal so far: any trained peer facilitator can run this.