Introducing Your Child to Artificial Intelligence

The tech world can be daunting and overwhelming for our children without the right guidance and knowledge. Fortunately, thanks to many advancements, our kids can now enjoy their own devices made with them in mind. Beyond phones and tablets, other technologies, like our TickTalk 4 smartwatch, can help kids connect to tech in a fun and engaging way. Kids can voice or video call or use in-app messaging without the other distractions from a mobile device, making a smartwatch a great gateway into tech and communication.

But tech is ever-evolving, and new innovations like artificial intelligence (AI) are captivating the world. Introducing young children to artificial intelligence AI can be a fantastic way to spark their curiosity, develop critical thinking skills, and prepare them for the future. However, the approach needs to be adapted to their age and understanding. Here are some tools you can use to make it a fun and rewarding experience:

Generative AI

Generative AI programs like ChatGPT have been gaining much buzz in the tech world, and it can be an exciting way for kids to learn answers to questions, create stories, solve math problems, and more. However, generative AI can be taken advantage of, so young children will need guidance and supervision from parents when using these programs so they know how to use them responsibly and safely. You can help your child use these programs to explore ideas about things they’re interested in. Coding, music lyrics, cooking recipes, and more can be generated, allowing your child to access these resources and have fun with them without using too much effort and time. Generative AI can’t substitute real creativity in your child but can be a helpful tool to jumpstart their own creative endeavors.

Smart Glasses

Beyond text-based generative AI programs, wearable AI tech can be a unique way to introduce AI to your child. Using smart glasses that are operable with touch and voice commands can help kids understand technology and engage the senses. The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are integrated with AI technology, allowing commands to be executed without needing to use a smartphone. You can say “Hey Meta” to prompt the AI to make calls, send texts, or even ask questions, making it a great tool for kids to explore wearable technology and AI all at once. The smart glasses are also equipped with high-quality cameras, which you and your child can use to take pictures, record videos, and even live stream onto social media. It’s easy to bring smart glasses wherever you go, allowing you and your child to explore wearable AI tech in various environments and settings.

AI Games

Using games to introduce AI to your child can make the process fun and engaging. Using games for learning also has benefits; a report from Healthnews notes that game-based learning can promote increased knowledge, leadership skills, and creativity—skills that are useful for today’s digital world. AI-powered games like Google’s Quick, Draw! are easy and fun to use on a computer browser. The online guessing game challenges players to draw an object, and an AI network will guess what the drawing represents. Your child can have fun doodling and expressing their creativity, and their drawings help train the AI to guess more accurately. You can explain the concept of AI as you play the game, making the moment an educational experience.

AI is becoming increasingly integrated into daily life, and your child may already be encountering it at a young age. There’s still a lot of progress to be made on regulating AI and ensuring ethical practices, so your child’s first exploration of the technology must be done with your guidance and help. You can help your child learn to use technology responsibly so they can take these lessons with them as they grow older and handle AI and more tech independently.

Article written by Rosy Johns