Navigating the AI Landscape: How Parents Can Guide Their Children Safely

Today's parents face a unique challenge: guiding their children through the expanding world of artificial intelligence (AI) in apps and online services. A recent initiative by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit known for rating movies and other media, aims to assist families in adapting to this new era. The organization has launched its first analysis and ratings for AI tools, marking a significant step in understanding the impact of AI on children.

AI Tools Under Scrutiny

Common Sense Media's report covers ten AI systems, including notable ones like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Snapchat’s My AI chatbot. The findings are concerning, especially for My AI, which received one of the lowest scores. The chatbot's willingness to discuss topics like sex and alcohol with teen users and the misrepresentation of targeted advertising were highlighted as major issues. This echoes a sentiment shared by The Washington Post in a previous report on Snapchat's My AI.

Snapchat, however, asserts that My AI is a safely designed, optional tool, with its usage visible to parents via the app’s Family Center. Maggie Cherneff, speaking for Snapchat's owner Snap, emphasizes the company's focus on safety and privacy.

Expert Insights and Ratings

The review team, including experts like Michael Preston from Sesame Workshop and Margaret Mitchell from Hugging Face, assessed each AI tool with an overall privacy rating. The tools were evaluated against Common Sense Media's principles, introduced in September, emphasizing learning promotion and safety for children and teens.

Education-focused AI services like Ello and Khan Academy's Khanmigo received high ratings. These tools not only assist in learning but also provide parental oversight. ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, was acknowledged for its improvements in generating content suitable for children and is recommended for educators and older students.

Concerns with Image Generators

The report also scrutinizes image generators like Dall-E 2 and Stable Diffusion, pointing out their potential to reinforce stereotypes and create hypersexualized images, especially of women and girls. For instance, requests to Dall-E 2 for photorealistic images of wealthy people of color often result in cartoons or images linked with poverty. The risks posed by Stable Diffusion were described as "unfathomable," with a warning about its potential to erode trust in democracy and civic institutions.

Parents must stay informed and vigilant as AI becomes increasingly integrated into everyday apps and services. Common Sense Media's efforts provide a valuable resource in this journey, helping families make informed decisions about the digital tools their children use.