5. AI chatbots can be fun, too.
Jamie Davis Smith, a mom of four in Washington, D.C., says her family used an AI chatbot to plan a summer road trip, which was mostly accurate. As a journalist, she knows accuracy and sourcing are crucial skills for kids to learn. That’s why she highlights AI’s limitations, as well as its usefulness, when she talks to her kids about AI chatbots. And she uses these fun activities to help teach what AI can (and can’t) do.
Ask low-stakes questions.
Recently, Smith’s son asked her if barn owls actually live in barns. Not knowing the answer, they turned to an AI chatbot. (Spoiler alert: Barn owls do prefer to live in barns.) These types of low-stakes questions are a great way to familiarize children with the pros and cons of artificial intelligence, Smith says.
Play games with bots.
Most of the popular AI chatbot tools have game features built in; playing 20 questions or trivia games is a great way to help kids understand how these tools respond—as well as a great way to highlight when they are wrong. Kids might catch a mistake when a chatbot turns up the wrong answer about a favorite sports team, for example, which could lead to a great conversation about the importance of accuracy.
Ask a bot to tell jokes.
Artificial intelligence isn’t only for research—these AI chatbots can be funny, too. Ask an AI chatbot or smart speaker to tell you a knock-knock joke. This is a great way for kids to learn how artificial intelligence can communicate with them while they also have a laugh with their parents.
The bottom line
Artificial intelligence tools require supervision and guidance. Smith is cautiously having fun with these new tools even as she worries about kids using them to cut corners or even plagiarize work.
“It’s important to start talking with your kids about how to use them responsibly, and their limitations,” Smith says. “And start now if you haven’t done so already.”
Keep the conversation going offline while you have the tools to help see what they’re doing online—Verizon Family.
