NEWS Tegs Centralskola in city of Umeå is one of a handful schools around the world chosen by UNICEF for a unique project on AI and the rights of children. Researchers from Umeå University will lead a workshop with the students.
Tegs Centralskola is one of a handful schools around the world chosen by UNICEF for a unique project on AI and the rights of children.
ImageMostphotosOver the past few years the world has seen a dramatic increase in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) systems that are expected to profoundly influence life and work in the 21st century.
However, despite the growing interest in AI, little attention is paid to how it will affect children and their rights.
UNICEF wants to draw attention to children and the impact of AI on them. The rights of children, as current users of AI-enabled systems and the future inhabitants of a more AI-saturated world, must be a critical consideration in AI development.
As part of the AI and Children policy project, UNICEF is hosting a series of workshops around the world to gain regional perspectives on AI systems and children. At Tegs Centalskola a class of students, age 14-15, will take part in the workshop led by researchers from Umeå University with Professor Virginia Dignum as project leader.
These conversations will help UNICEF develop a policy guidance on how to promote children’s development in AI strategies and practices. Besides the workshop in Umeå, children consultation workshops are held in New York, Cape Town and Sao Paolo. Other children consultations are planned to be held in Thailand and in the Pacific region, in a later date, due to the current pandemic restrictions
The draft policy guidance will be launched online in August 2020. Later in 2020 a Global Forum on AI for Children, the first of its kind, will be held in Helsinki, Finland.
Virginia Dignum, Department of Computing Science
Mobile: 072-085 08 90
Email: virginia.dignum@umu.se
Britt Hansson, Teacher at Teg Centralskola in Umeå
Mobile: 070-285 64 21
Email: britt.hansson@umea.se