Children’s Parliament, the Scottish AI Alliance (SAIA), and The Alan Turing Institute (ATI) have embarked on an exciting new project to explore the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with children across Scotland. We are finding out how children interact with AI, what they think the possibilities and risks are for the use of AI for children in Scotland, and how children can become meaningfully involved in AI development and policy.   

Taking a children’s rights approach, we have been asking Members of Children’s Parliament (children across Scotland aged 8 –14), to think about what needs to happen for AI to play a role in keeping all children healthy, happy, and safe. 

Having completed Stage 1 of the project, we are now looking to work with individuals or organisations who are currently developing AI systems, policy around AI, or the practical application of AI, to help us explore how we can meaningfully involve the views of children in these processes. 

Project Partners

We are looking to work with individuals or organisations who: 

• Are currently engaged on a piece of work related to AI which links to one of the themes the children have identified as being significant to children across Scotland: AI and Education, Fairness and Bias, and Safety and Security (see below for more details). 

• Believe in Article 12 of the UNCRC which states that children have the right to have a say in matters which affect them and that this should be upheld in relation to AI. 

• Believe that the work that they do will be improved through the involvement of children and are committed to taking forward, where possible, the views and ideas of children. 

• Have the capacity to work with Children’s Parliament to develop and deliver at least one in-person day workshop or consultation. 

Our hope for working with partners during this phase of the project is that all parties will benefit. The children will continue to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding, and to feel that their views and opinions are valued and impactful. Partner organisations will have meaningful opportunities to consult with children on the work they are currently doing and to take that work forward in the knowledge that it will better serve the needs of children.  

The work we do in trialling ways of involving children in AI development, policy and application in this phase will inform our final outputs with the aim of mainstreaming the involvement of children in these conversations in Scotland. 

Our Themes 

1.      AI and Education  

Learning about AI: The children consistently told us that it was important that children learn about Artificial Intelligence. They did not think it was taught outside of projects like this and felt that learning about AI would equip them better both now and in the future. It was also a steep learning curve for both the children and the adults who did not work in the field; as some of the concepts were challenging to grapple with.  

  

“We were getting confused between technology and Artificial Intelligence.”

MCP, age 10, Stirling  

  

“I knew a wee bit of AI because of my sister.”

MCP, age 10, Glasgow  

  

“It's good to know about AI so we don't get scammed.”

MCP, age 10, Glasgow  

  

The use of AI in Education: The children had mixed feelings about how AI is, and could be, used in schools. They felt it could be very useful, but also worried about what might happen if it was relied on too heavily. Some children expressed concerns that programmes which dictate the level of challenge that children experience in reading or maths activities has the potential to be unfair or to limit opportunities, while others felt that important human interaction or fairness were at risk.  

  

“If AI was teaching most of the people in schools and like all that, then they wouldn’t actually get much opportunity to hear an actual person saying it; it would just be, like, a robot saying all their subjects all the time. And it would probably be a bit frustrating because the robots know everything, and the teachers learn new things through the children.”

MCP, age 10, Shetland  

  

“If you're doing homework, then you shouldn't use it because you're supposed to be doing that by yourself, not by AI.”

MCP, age 9, Shetland  

  

2.      Fairness and Bias  

The children, having learnt about AI through the project, now have a solid understanding of the principle that the quantity and quality of data that is inputted into an AI system will impact how accurate or effective it is. They were very concerned to hear about the potential for AI systems to replicate existing bias in society and felt strongly that it should not be used for anything that would lead to discrimination.   

  

“Sometimes AI can go wrong where it can go maybe like sometimes racist or even just give you the wrong stuff.”

MCP, age 10, Glasgow  

  

“[An AI system] keeps on making the same mistake until you teach that how to go better and get around a mistake.”

MCP, age 11, Stirling  

  

“Top tip for the AI system: have up to date information; check what happened last year.”

MCP, age 10, Edinburgh  

  

3.      Safety and Security  

The children want AI to help to keep them safe, both online and off – in their schools, homes and communities. They were aware of some of the risks of navigating the internet, with many children referencing ‘scammers’ throughout the project, and hoped that AI could be used to mitigate against these risks. The children also spoke about AI’s use in advertising and gaming and the importance of children understanding how those systems worked. They felt that it was important that children’s privacy was protected. They were also excited about the potential for AI to help protect the environment, and to protect children from harm in the wider world.  

  

“There’s also some issues like there could be companies getting information about you and making it more tempting to do stuff like spending money and it’s not going to be good for children because they might spend money accidentally.”

MCP, age 10, Shetland  

  

"I think [AI]'s doing really well and it's helping the planet.”

MCP, age 11, Stirling  

  

“It could recognise criminals, but it could also recognise people who weren’t criminals. So if we trained it not to look at people who weren’t criminals, the people could have a better life.”

MCP, age 10, Stirling  

Want to know more? 

If this project sounds interesting and you would like to get involved or find out more, get in touch with Gregory Metcalfe, our Project Lead, via email: gregory@childrensparliament.org.uk 

All questions and thoughts welcomed. 

 About Children’s Parliament    

Established in 1996, Children’s Parliament is dedicated to the realisation of children's human rights in Scotland. Our dream is that children grow up in a world of love, happiness and understanding. Our mission is to inspire greater awareness and understanding of the power of children’s human rights and to support implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).  

Through our rights-based practice we provide children up to 14 years of age with opportunities to share their views, experiences, and ideas so that they can influence positive change in their lives at home, in school and in the community.  

We use creative, participatory and play-based methods to support children to meaningfully engage in decisions that affect them. We support children to influence policy, practice and legislation, and we build the capacity and win the hearts and minds of adults to realise children’s rights. 

 For more information on our work, please visit our website here.