Exploring Children’s Rights and AI

Working with our partners, the Scottish AI Alliance (SAIA) and The Alan Turing Institute (ATI), we are exploring with children how they interact with AI, what they think the possibilities and risks are for the use of AI in Scotland, and how they can become meaningfully involved in AI development and policy.

Taking a child rights approach, we have been asking Members of Children’s Parliament (MCPs) to think about what needs to happen for AI to play a role in keeping all children happy, healthy, and safe. To try to capture as broad a range of views as possible and to reflect the diversity of experiences of children in Scotland, we are working with classes ranging from P4 to P7 in four schools in different locations across Scotland: Glasgow, Stirlingshire, Edinburgh, and Shetland. Stage 2 of the project has now been completed and you can find our Stage 2 report and film, as well as the children’s Calls to Action, below. In our final stage, we are developing resources to support adults and children across Scotland to learn about the relationship between AI and children’s human rights.

Stage 2 Report

Our latest report is a summary of the progress and findings of Stage 2 of the project and includes a detailed account of the children’s exploration of key themes in relation to children’s human rights and AI. Through workshops and sessions facilitated by Children’s Parliament and a range of partners, MCPs gained hands-on experience which helped them to deepen their understanding of how AI interacts with their rights and clarify their thoughts and feelings on these matters. This led to the development of the children’s 12 Calls to Action (see below).

Read our Stage 2 report here:

Exploring Children’s Rights and AI (Children’s Parliament Report 2024)Download

You can read about our findings across each theme in the case studies on our workshops here:

Fairness and Bias, Stirling

Safety and Security, Glasgow

AI in Education, Edinburgh

Learning about AI, Shetland

The report concludes with what we have learned about what matters to children when it comes to AI and its relationship with children’s human rights.

The Children’s Calls to Action

As a result of their exploration of the four themes in Stage 2, Members of Children’s Parliament have developed twelve ‘Calls to Action’ which identify where children think changes need to be made by decision-makers for children’s human rights to be upheld in the development and use of AI in Scotland.

Download our leaflet with the children’s Calls to Action here:

You can watch the children explaining the Calls to Actions themselves here:

Exploring Children’s Rights and AI Stage 1

In Stage One of the project the children were introduced to AI and Children’s Rights, and they identified 4 key themes, you can read the report and watch the film below.

Stage 1 Report

The Stage 1 summary report provides an overview of the first stage of the project. The children shared their insights through a combination of in-person workshops in schools and regular online sessions with a selected group of ‘Investigators’. They told us how they interact with AI in Scotland today; their views on how AI is currently used in their schools and communities; what their hopes and fears are with regards to AI in the future; and how they feel about children’s involvement in AI development and policy making.

The children’s work enabled us to narrow the focus of the next two stages of the project to the four following themes, which the children have identified as areas that need further exploration: Fairness and Bias, Safety and Security, AI and Education and The Future of AI.

To find out more about how AI affects the lives of children in Scotland, please download and read a copy of our report.

A.I Stage 1 Report (Children’s Parliament 2023)Download

National Survey

Over 1,200 children living in Scotland completed a digital survey in June 2023 which explored their views and ideas on AI, and its use and development in relation to their human rights. Each survey was completed anonymously by children aged eight-14 years old, supported by school staff but independently filled out by children. The survey and accompanying facilitation instructions for teachers and other supporting adults were designed and produced by Children’s Parliament. Have a look at some of the key results in the charts and word maps shown on the graphic.

Children could express their views and ideas in more depth through two open-ended questions on the survey if they wished; the answers to those questions will form a part of the evidence for the project’s next report. Another national survey, aimed at understanding Scottish children’s priorities when it comes to AI, will be launched in 2024. 

Findings

The survey results show a clear need for improved education around AI for children. 57% of children said they know only a bit about AI, and 21% said they knew nothing at all. Combined with the fact that 61% of children also told us that they don’t learn about AI in school, this shows a definite gap in the curriculum on the topic for primary-school aged children and beyond. 

56% said that it is important for children, including younger children, to know about AI, and that the best ways for them to learn about it are through ‘teaching more in school’, ‘taking [them] to places where [they] can find out about it’, and ‘adults talking more with [them] about AI.’ 

A general feeling of uncertainty around AI was also reflected in children’s answers to the question ‘would you like to have a say about how AI is used in Scotland?’, with 36% responding ‘unsure’ and only 32% responding ‘yes’. Meanwhile, a majority of children reported knowing ‘a lot’ about their rights but only ‘a little’ about AI. This shows that greater access to education on AI might support children to be rights-bearers and make informed decisions when invited to contribute their views on AI use and development. 

While feelings such as ‘nervous, ‘worried’, and ‘sad’ were commonly expressed in relation to AI, so too were ‘happy’, ‘excited’, and ‘relaxed’, and children frequently expressed the view that AI is used for helping people. Children let us know that it is important for them to know and learn about AI because it helps them feel safe and will help them prepare better for their futures.