If you want your preschooler to grow up with a healthy attitude toward AI, here’s a tip from our columnist: Don’t call that cute robot “he” or “she”
By Sue Shellenbarger Aug. 26, 2019 5:30 am ET If you want your preschooler to grow up with a healthy attitude toward artificial intelligence, here’s a tip: Don’t call that cute talking robot “he” or “she.”Today’s small children, aka Generation Alpha, are the first to grow up with robots as peers. Those winsome talking devices spawned by a booming education-tech industry can speed children’s learning, but they also can be confusing to them, research shows.
Preschoolers can understand more about AI than you think. Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology are finding some surprising successes teaching AI to children as young as age 4, helping them program robots to learn from patterns or features in data.
Youngsters also pick up conversational cues from robots. One child in a 2017 University of Washington study started mimicking the repetitive speech of a robotic dinosaur when asked by her father at home to do something she didn’t want to do, saying “I didn’t get that,” according to the research. Children can become emotionally attached to robots. Most children ages 9 through 15 who interacted with a humanoid robot for 15 minutes said later they might go to it for comfort if they were feeling sad or lonely, and believed the robot could be their friend, according to a 2012 study in Developmental Psychology.
“Before we started this work, we were told point-blank, ‘You can’t start teaching kids AI until high school,’ ” Dr. Breazeal says. She was surprised that the preschoolers were able to grasp the concepts as well as they did. Dr. Jipson at Cal Poly advises parents to help their children design, program or build the AI devices they use. ”Help children figure out that they can control these tools—that we’re the ones who created that ability, and we can also make the best use of it,” she says. Invite them to question the credibility of the information generated by AI-powered tools, she says. “They need to know that there’s the potential for error or, unfortunately, for deliberate manipulation.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Hasbro Plans To Eliminate Plastic Packaging For Kids' Toys and GamesPopular toy and game company Hasbro has announced plans to eliminate plastic packaging in their products for kids by 2022.
Read more »
A New High School Will Feature Zig-Zag Hallways Where Kids Can Hide From A ShooterPlanning for the possibility of a mass shooting is just a part of school life now, from lesson planning to the design of the building itself.
Read more »
Brad Pitt Introduced Jennifer Aniston To His Kids?Brad Pitt has not introduced Jennifer Aniston to his kids, despite a made-up tabloid report. The ex-spouses aren't back together.
Read more »
How Can Schools Help Kids With Anxiety?Anxiety is running rampant in high schools around the country, both rich and poor. It makes it hard for students to learn and to deal with life. Hear from two teens’ and learn strategies educators and parents can use to help them cope.
Read more »
We Can Start Teaching Kids To Clean Up Their Own Messes When They’re BabiesIt is the life lesson of all life lessons.
Read more »