AI can teach your kids math, reading and writing — but what are the risks? | Breaking:

From an iPad on her kitchen table, a digital voice reads a story to Dipti Bhide and her son, Rohan.

It’s about an astronaut who went to Mars, met an alien, and found some space rocks before returning to Earth. The couple, who live in Coquitlam, British Columbia, are the first people to hear the story, which was created using suggestions from Rohan, which were then fed into the artificial intelligence (AI) program his mother created.

Rohan, who is eight, is completely engrossed in the story.

“It’s a story that he created and that’s why he’s very motivated,” his mother said.

Bhide is not the first developer to imagine the potential of advanced computer automation for children’s learning. Their program is one of many new AI offerings, like Funexpected Math or Ello, available for purchase online, that promise to engage young children in the seeming limitlessness of technology.

But while the programs claim to improve children’s understanding of fundamentals, education researchers say the huge potential comes with evolving concerns around privacy, transparency and biases that could cause potential harm. , particularly given the young age of potential users.

Some of these concerns were outlined in a recent report from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and standards developer CSA Group, which found that policymakers have failed to recognize “privacy rights, distinct needs and unique circumstances.” of the kids”. ,” and most policy responses remain “primarily adult-centered.”

Despite the unknown, apps continue to be released for people of all ages, as developers ride the wave of interest in AI, generating technology that aims to do everything from improve medical diagnoses to helping people. greater. Make art.

Bhide tells CBC that he wants to make sure his children are prepared for the inevitable rise of artificial intelligence in their future and that his LittleLit program is a “co-pilot” in their education.

“AI exists now. What skills do you need to teach your child to keep up? And hey, AI can help with that too,” he said.

Neither inherently good nor bad for us

Elizabeth Adams, a US-based clinical psychologist and co-founder of the AI-powered Ello program, tells CBC she’s concerned developers are using the technology without the proper educational approach.

Ello uses child voice recognition technology and artificial intelligence to create an online reading coach for children using an artificial intelligence avatar in the form of a friendly blue elephant named Ello, who listens and corrects children as they read aloud.

“The challenge is that there is a rush and there may be products on the market that are not safe or that are not the best experiences for children,” Adams said.

“I’m worried that if any of that goes wrong, parents will raise their guardrails even higher.”

Emphasizing built-in features, such as allowing users to opt out of sharing different types of data, is how developers like Bhide and Adams hope to reassure parents and get them to consider artificial technology tools for their children.

However, it doesn’t mean that AI is inherently bad or good for adults or children, said Ron Darvin, a UBC assistant professor with expertise in digital learning and literacy.

“We’re really able to understand what the possibilities and limitations of these tools are and shape them in a way that empowers us as human beings.”

He told CBC the real issue is digital literacy, not simply knowing how to use AI technology but also how it works and the principles behind it.

There is no replacement for in-person learning

If children receive responses to certain prompts given orally, then it is possible for programs to record voices, Darvin said. There is a possibility that AI technology can also read facial expressions. Sometimes programs also collect additional data while the program is in use, an essential part of machine learning, which may be stored locally or shared with third parties.

Apps can’t replace the value of in-person learning, Darvin said, because they are essentially limited to instructions that have been entered into software, often called algorithms.

In the case of LittleLit, it means the software can be programmed to deliver age-specific content. But it can also result in the omission of alternative data, which can lead to AI programs being fed repetitive, formulaic content or perhaps being unable to discern a person’s accent or unique facial expressions, he said.

Even AI’s remarkable ability to instantly create math or reading problems from unicorns or chocolate bars can’t compete with the value of face-to-face learning, according to Dipti Bhide, co-founder of LittleLit. The developer, who hopes the program will one day be used in schools, is convinced that ultimately there is no substitute for a teacher or a parent despite the potential of AI.

It’s a view shared by Christine Korol, a psychologist at BC Children’s Hospital, who said there are decades of research showing that parent-child interactions with books are some of the best ways to get children to improve their interest and motivation to read. read.

“They spend quality time together, laugh at stories,” he said. “There are many things that parents bring to the table when they read with their children.”