UAB experts provide guidance for parents on how to tackle AI.As a new school year begins, many parents are asking an important question: How should we approach and address our children’s exposure to artificial intelligence in and out of the classroom?
Most parents never expected they would need to explain to their children the realities of a computer system that might seem as though it is a friend and can provide a response to almost everything.
Experts at the University of Alabama of Birmingham discuss how parents can go about the ever-evolving technology even in the classroom.
Amber Wagner, Ph.D., Department of Computer Science associate chair and assistant professor, and Brooke Becker, assistant professor and media literacy librarian, share their expertise.
Learn together
Artificial intelligence is changing every day, which makes it impossible for parents to know everything. Parents and guardians can learn alongside children to help create an understanding of the technology.
Because many everyday things “fall under the artificial intelligence umbrella … AI literacy is so important, for parents, students and teachers alike,” Becker said.
Creating an understanding and learning space for AI literacy in your home can benefit both parents and children.
Parents can sit with their children and explain what AI is and how to use the system as a positive resource. It is important to express that AI is like a search engine that can answer questions, but it does not think or feel as a human does.
“If we teach our kids to use this as a tool, it will be really helpful to them,” Wagner said.
According to Wagner, it is important to keep in mind that parents should take an approach with the platform to provide guidance and not answers. “It is a great way to dive into a subject; but if you leave learning at surface level, it is not beneficial.”
Wagner expresses that allowing children to grow with AI now will give them the ability to grow with the technology as it advances.
Children will notice how their parents are handling the technology and pick up on practices they see their parents modeling.
Developing an encouraging environment for conversation and learning around AI will help children feel confident in coming to their parents with questions about the technology and showing their parents what they have used the system to discover or create.
Set boundaries
With the new landscape that is artificial intelligence, setting boundaries can help put parents at ease.
Because children can be exposed to AI at an early age, it is important for parents to think about what kind of artificial intelligence they are interacting with and how often, according to Becker.
Parents can establish healthy boundaries around AI usage by discussing what information is safe to share and what needs to remain private. They can express that children should not share personal details and information, including birthdays, addresses, phone numbers and passwords. These boundaries can help protect and reiterate the importance of privacy.
It is also import for parents to make sure their children understand that any information received from AI is not always accurate. AI can generate misinformation, biased responses and manipulated content. Encouraging them to fact-check information through further research helps create critical thinking skills and responsible AI habits.
Any boundaries that might be considered when introducing social media and technology should be considered when approaching AI.
Prioritize safety and privacy
Parents can set safe and healthy boundaries for artificial intelligence when talking about the subject with their children, alongside setting guardrails within the platform to prioritize safety.
Before providing children with access, accounts can be created on the platforms and guardrails can be set to safely format the responses children could receive from chatbots.
Guardrails can include filtering inappropriate responses, requiring sources, providing guidance and not answers, and asking to not generate images.
Creating temporary chats and disabling data sharing in the account settings to prevent any private information shared with chatbots from becoming public can also protect the privacy of AI users.
Some platforms do have an age requirement of at least 13 years of age, and those 13 to 18 years of age require parental consent for creating an account. There are also kid-friendly AI chatbots and platforms.
Create a positive mindset
While it can be hard to fully understand artificial intelligence, parents can help build and display a positive mindset toward AI to help their children not be afraid of the technology.
Wagner recommends that parents encourage their children to come home from school and discuss what they have learned about AI to help create meaningful conversations about the technology that will continue to help build healthy relationships around AI.
Like every new form of technology, there are certain age groups that will benefit from the development.
Children have an advantage when learning how to use AI at such a young age. They will grow up in a world where AI is prevalent and integrated in many aspects of their lives.