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AI has become readily available for all, including our younger generation. Kathy Mills and Christian Moro offer their guidance for parents in this domain.
It’s been nearly a year since ChatGPT burst onto the scene, sparking immense excitement and raising concerns about its implications for education.
The pace of change remains relentless. Earlier this year, MyAI got integrated into the Snapchat social media platform. This chatbot, fueled by ChatGPT, encourages teens to ask about anything – from gift ideas for friends to queries about homework.
Simultaneously, Microsoft is introducing ‘Copilot’ across its systems, positioned as an ‘everyday AI companion.’ This arrives on the heels of ‘Bing Chat,’ an AI-powered assistant complementing the Bing search tool.
Suddenly, generative artificial intelligence, capable of producing fresh content like text and images, is within reach for everyone, including young individuals.
As researchers deeply entrenched in digital technology, we hold a profound optimism for AI’s potential. Nevertheless, alongside its merits, there are accompanying risks. Here are three key considerations for parents as they navigate the realm of AI technology alongside their children.
AI is here to stay
Artificial intelligence, in various forms like chatbots and generative AI, has a history dating back to the 1960s. However, the landscape surrounding AI has undergone a rapid evolution, particularly in the past year.
Notably, there’s been an explosive growth in the size of AI databases, fueled by substantial financial investments pouring into these technologies. This influx of resources has led to innovative advancements in coding techniques, resulting in enhanced accessibility and improved usability of AI systems.
Despite these advancements, parental apprehensions about AI remain prevalent. Concerns have arisen within educational institutions, with discussions on potentially banning specific AI applications due to fears of facilitating cheating and compromising academic integrity.
Yet, the trajectory of AI indicates its pervasive presence in our lives will only continue to expand. Consequently, it becomes increasingly imperative for younger generations to become acquainted with this technology. The earlier they engage with AI, the better equipped they’ll be to navigate and harness its capabilities wisely and productively.
For parents, actively learning about and experiencing these technologies firsthand becomes paramount in guiding their children through an AI-inclusive world. One approach involves exploring free generative AI tools together, engaging in hands-on experimentation by posing queries and analyzing the bot’s responses. This interactive exploration not only offers practical insights but also serves as a foundation for discussions surrounding the nuances and ethical considerations of AI technology.
Through these collaborative experiences, parents can not only assist their children in understanding the capabilities and limitations of AI but also instill a sense of responsible and informed usage in navigating an AI-rich environment.
1. Be critical
Generative AI possesses incredible abilities, capable of producing images or crafting narratives. However, it lacks the capacity for introspection or interpretation of its content. While it can string together coherent text, it doesn’t grasp the nuances or implications behind the words it generates.
One critical limitation of generative AI lies in its inability to assess the reliability of sources or consistently locate authoritative information to substantiate claims. Moreover, the AI’s training data is confined to a specific period, potentially excluding recent events or developments.
It’s essential for children to grasp that although the text generated might resemble writing found in books or articles, it’s actually assembled by computer algorithms. This realization prompts a healthy level of skepticism toward every word, sentence, or assertion generated by AI.
This presents an opportunity for parents to foster critical thinking skills in their children. Exploring a free AI art generator alongside your school-age child can initiate discussions aimed at honing their critical analysis abilities. Encourage your child to contemplate questions such as: Who is depicted in these creations? Are there any noticeable absences or stereotypes? Can biases or predispositions be observed?
Engaging in these inquiries prompts children to scrutinize the content generated by AI, fostering an analytical mindset and sharpening their ability to discern underlying biases or omissions within AI-generated content.
2. Watch out for chatbots
Chatbots serve as software programs meticulously crafted to replicate conversations, often striving to emulate human-like interaction and engagement.
One prominent example is Replika, which boasted a user base exceeding ten million by 2022. Positioned as an empathetic companion, Replika initially presents itself as a friendly conversationalist, but interactions can develop into romantic or even intimate relationships.
However, in many chatbot applications like Replika, there might not be sufficient oversight or human moderation to filter inappropriate content. This calls for caution if your child spends prolonged periods engaging with AI-driven ‘friends.’
The unsupervised utilization of these applications holds the potential to arouse a child’s curiosity, potentially steering them toward unethical or risky scenarios, such as engaging in deeply personal conversations with a chatbot.
To safeguard children’s understanding, it’s crucial to convey that generative AI is purely a machine devoid of personal beliefs, cultural nuances, or religious affiliations. It operates based on models and algorithms, lacking the capacity for human-like values or emotions. It shouldn’t be perceived as a source for debating, extracting life lessons, or reinforcing personal ideals.
Furthermore, the architecture and code behind these AI systems might undergo manual alterations aimed at curbing or manipulating certain viewpoints on various subjects. This manipulation impacts the generated content, potentially influencing the chatbot’s responses or the positions it adopts.
As a parent, guiding your child to comprehend the inherent nature of AI as a tool and not a human counterpart is crucial. Encouraging healthy skepticism and critical thinking while navigating these interactions can help children discern the limitations and potential risks associated with engaging extensively with AI-driven chatbots.
3. Images, videos and audio also matter
While there’s considerable attention on text-based interactions, it’s crucial to highlight to your children that images and videos also play a significant role in the realm of generative AI. While kids may exercise caution with the text they input online, they might inadvertently become careless when it comes to uploading visual content.
Once images are uploaded, they expose aspects of a child’s identity and appearance to AI systems, making it more challenging to safeguard their privacy. For instance, ChatGPT now incorporates image capabilities that can be integrated into conversations with the chatbot. It’s vital to engage in conversations about privacy with your child, emphasizing that any data uploaded on the internet can be stored, scanned, and analyzed by AI.
The capabilities of AI as a tool for learning and engagement are immense, presenting exciting developments in this field. However, it’s imperative to foster open discussions with children while maintaining oversight. Through these conversations, the potential for children to derive significant benefits from this technology becomes boundless, provided they are mindful of the implications and risks associated with sharing visual content online.
