Welcome to Project Chiron, Behavior Analyst One.
Behavior analysis is entering a new epoch.
The digital revolution has matured. Artificial intelligence is no longer an unapproachable academic curiosity or confined to Silicon Valley startups. It is here, everywhere—from the emails we write, to the apps our clients use, to the diagnostic tools that will increasingly influence access to services. And yet, despite AI’s ubiquity, our field is drastically underprepared.
That ends now.
We are proud to launch Project Chiron—a bold, structured, and unapologetically rigorous initiative to empower every behavior analyst with the skills, frameworks, and fluency required to effectively and ethically engage with artificial intelligence in a way that is informed, critical, and transformative.
Named after the mythological centaur who trained heroes, Chiron represents what we believe behavior analysts must become in this new age: wise, disciplined, grounded in science, and capable of guiding others through complexity without succumbing to its chaos.
Why Project Chiron? Why Now?
Here’s what we know:
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Behavior analysts are increasingly exposed to AI tools through clinical software vendors, educational platforms, and experimental research.
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Many of these tools make bold claims but offer little transparency.
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The average BCBA, RBT, or faculty member has not been trained to critically assess algorithmic outputs, AI bias, or model performance metrics.
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Ethical dilemmas are already emerging: Who is responsible when an AI tool gives bad advice? What happens when a clinician defers to a flawed algorithm? What happens when they fail to change their behavior in light of new analytics? How do we safeguard client data in a world of machine learning?
This isn’t just a technology problem. This also impacts your professional and personal survival.
Project Chiron exists to bridge this gap. It is not a journal club. It is not a hype machine. It is a roadmap and content to help build AI-literate behavior analysts across all levels of our field—from newly credentialed RBTs to university faculty shaping the next generation.
Who Is Behind This?
Project Chiron is led by a collaboration between:
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Ryan O'Donnell, MS, BCBA: With a background in behavior science and digital storytelling, Ryan stopped short of the Ph.D. track to build a distinctive path through filmmaking, science communication, and CEU production. Known for producing high-quality, film-level CEU content with thought leaders like Patrick C. Friman, Susan G. Friedman, and Kent Johnson, he’s directed and produced over 200 hours of online courses, including the acclaimed documentaries This Way of Thinking, The History of Applied Behavior Analysis: Part 1 and The Morningside Model.
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David J. Cox, PhD, MSB, BCBA-D: A full-stack data scientist and behavior analyst with nearly two decades of experience at the intersection of behavior science, ethics, and AI. Dr. Cox is a thought leader on ethical AI integration in ABA and the author of the recent commentary Ethical Behavior Analysis in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. He’s published over 70 articles and books on related topics in academic journals and, quite possibly, the only person in the field with expertise in behavior analysis, bioethics, and data science.
While David might be in the journals, Ryan’s likely on your screen, making the science easier to understand and impossible to ignore. Together, we are building a one-of-a-kind experience that will retool the field for the 21st century – Project Chiron.
What Makes This Different?
There are plenty of newsletters about AI. There are plenty of CEUs about behavior analysis. There is nothing that combines both, grounded in:
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Contextualism as the guiding worldview
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A refusal to engage in silo thinking
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A deep technical understanding of how AI models are built, evaluated, and misused
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An unapologetically direct, ethically grounded, data-driven, and allergic-to-hype tone
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And just enough evolutionary science to remind us: adapt or become a cautionary tale.
Project Chiron is:
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Weekly. So you stay current without being overwhelmed.
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Layered. Each issue builds a deeper understanding with recursive themes.
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Actionable. You won’t just understand AI. You’ll know how to talk about it and apply it ethically and effectively.
What to Expect: The Roadmap
This isn’t Ready Player One. There’s no final level, no hidden Easter egg.
Just an evolving map—updated weekly—for navigating the most consequential technological shift in our field’s history. We’re publishing until the joystick breaks… (or until our robot overlords take over.)
What to Expect: Themes We’ll Explore
Rather than follow a rigid path, Project Chiron embraces a nonlinear path that mirrors the real-world complexity of AI systems and behavior analysis. Throughout this series, we’ll revisit key ideas from multiple angles, build fluency layer by layer, and connect foundational concepts to emerging innovations.
Some of the recurring themes you can expect include:
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Foundational AI Literacy: What AI is (and isn’t), how machine learning works, how models are built, and why understanding what’s under the hood matters for ethical use.
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Tool Evaluation and Application: From ChatGPT to computer vision to wearable tech—how to assess tools, identify utility, and avoid pseudoscientific claims dressed in technical language.
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Ethics and Contextual Analysis: Exploring the ethical AI landscape with topics such as privacy concerns, bias in data and algorithms, and philosophical roots of responsible technology use.
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Training and Supervision: Teaching RBTs, parents, and stakeholders how to safely interact with AI tools; integrating AI literacy into supervision and CEU structures.
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Organizational Fluency and Strategic Leadership: Preparing behavior analysts to lead AI adoption in clinical settings, schools, and universities. How to write policy, influence funding decisions, and future-proof our profession.
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Behavioral Economics and AI: How to understand and design digital reinforcement systems, nudges, and contingencies in human-machine systems.
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The Changing Landscape of Behavior Analysis: Commentary and analysis on what it means to be a behavior analyst in this new era.
Each issue will stand on its own while contributing to a cumulative, sophisticated understanding of AI and its relevance to ethical behavior analytic practice.
Coming Soon: The Evergreen Course
This newsletter is just the beginning.
We are currently producing a self-paced, film-quality course on AI literacy for everyone within the professional behavior analysis ecosystem, set to release at the end of this summer.
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Designed for four audiences, each with their unique learning path: Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs), Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), Clinical Directors, ABA Organizational Leaders, Strategic Leaders & Governance, and Academic Researchers
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Rooted in contextualism, nonlinear instructional design, and ethical behavior analysis
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Filled with high-production-value lectures by David J. Cox, PhD, MSB, BCBA-D, interactive assessments, and expert Q&As.
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BACB® CEU-accredited, but built for lifelong impact
No more scattered webinars. No more “AI for dummies” sessions (by people who often don’t even know what they’re truly talking about). This is the definitive starting point for ethical, intelligent, and literate AI use in ABA. There will be no reason to remain in the AI blank space. It’s for those ready to write the next chapter.
We believe every behavior analyst needs this—and we’re building it so that everyone can access it.
Why Subscribe to the Newsletter?
Subscribing to this weekly series is not a passive act. It is a professional decision to grow.
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Stay ahead of changes that will affect your clients, your funding sources, and your profession
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Understand and influence how AI is integrated into the science of behavior
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Build literacy in a nonlinear, contextual way
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Access an online community exclusively on The Behavior Academy that have enrolled in the course and are interested in developing AI literacy.
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Gain occasional early access to exclusive content, training modules, and live events
This newsletter is not a product. It is a path.
You are subscribing to a community of professionals who are not content to let the world change around them. You are preparing to shape that world—wisely, ethically, and with data.
Subscribe now. Prepare your practice. Join the future.
Because the age of AI isn’t coming.
It’s already here.
Ready, Behavior Analyst One? Good. Let’s go.
—The Project Chiron Team
Next Issue: AI and Behavior Analysis: Why It Matters
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