New book AI for Good highlights everyday uses of AI in schools and hospitals

In short: A new book by Josh Tyrangiel reports on people using AI for practical work in education, medicine, and government.

What happened

Josh Tyrangiel, a columnist who covers artificial intelligence for The Washington Post, has a new book called “AI for Good: How Real People Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Fix Things That Matter.” It is published by Simon & Schuster and is set to release on June 18, 2026.

The book focuses less on big arguments about whether AI will save the world or destroy it. Instead, it follows teachers, doctors, researchers, and public workers who try to use AI to solve specific problems. AI here means software that can spot patterns in large amounts of information, a bit like a very fast assistant that suggests options, but still needs a person to decide what to do.

Tyrangiel describes experiments in classrooms, including a high school in Indiana that tried AI for practical tasks. He also reports on healthcare examples, including the Cleveland Clinic, and notes that hospitals can be difficult places to introduce new tools because of internal politics and bureaucracy.

In government and research settings, he points to uses at the IRS and the Pentagon, plus the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which he calls a “quiet miracle” for its data work. He also retells how retired Gen. Gustave Perna used AI during Operation Warp Speed to help manage COVID-19 vaccine logistics, by pulling together huge amounts of data into clearer plans.

Why it matters

Many people hear about AI mainly through fear or hype. This book’s main message is that AI can be useful in ordinary institutions, but progress is usually slow and messy, and success depends on human judgment, not automation alone.

Source: NYTimes