Assessing the impact of technology and AI on children

Artificial intelligence, one of the greatest protagonists in the last year, is well presented in the world of children. Toys, video games, and mobile phones are increasingly powered by AI. As digital natives, they’re very familiar with the management of AI-powered artefacts, but at the same time, they’re the most vulnerable to their impact and are completely oblivious to the consequences of their data being processed.

As a parent, you may be concerned. Screen addiction is likely to prevent children from making meaningful social connections or unleashing the creativity that defines childhood. But what about data? As a result of this concern, The Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications office and Women in AI UAE organized an event called “The impact of Technology and AI on children” at HQ Coders Dubai to discuss their concerns and how to educate children to use AI effectively and responsibly.

“When we talk about AI, we need to follow some principles, and companies should follow these principles when it comes to education,” says H.E. Hanadi Saleh Al Yafaei, child safety director at The Supreme Council for Family Affair in Sharjah. “For example, the AI system for Chat GPT needs to develop so it’s appropriate for children.” Also, it’s important for parents to educate children about how this type of technology can be used, so we and the companies working on it should give insights to teachers and parents about how AI can be used.”

In terms of the risks being put on children, he adds that a P2P platform is needed to create awareness for children about technology and the ways they can be hacked. “Children don’t know which links have the correct info, so for that awareness in schools is one of the first steps,” he says. “In the UAE, we created an awareness program and we had children who were ambassadors. Now they’re in university creating such a smart generation and sharing information the right way. This is the generation we want and this is a successful initiative.”

This fear that parents have about the right use of technology and AI is common. “We create robots that are able to imitate social intelligence, and it’s sometimes difficult to maintain a long relationship while robots retain all the information, says Dr Hanan Salam, co-founder of Women in AI. “But we need to stay away from developing tech for everything. What we need is to spend time with children. Kids are becoming more antisocial. We need to sit down and talk about ethical problems and the risk of privacy concerns. Companies need to make policies when they design AI to ensure wellbeing.”