On March 27, MediaSmarts launched Canada’s first AI Literacy Day to “empower Canadians to gain the knowledge and skills needed to use, understand and engage with AI safely, critically and responsibly.”
As a parent, and an entrepreneur, there isn’t a day that goes by that AI somehow doesn’t show up in my spaces. I’ve shared before how it’s a conversation that I’m having to have with my own kids, and that is showing up in creative spaces too.
I know there are days when I am rather vocal about my displeasure with generative AI, but I also know that it’s here and being used. The importance of educating ourselves and having conversations with our children, at many different ages and stages, regarding the use of AI, is as important as any other digital literacy and safe internet talks we have.
In this parent resource guide from MediaSmarts, there are some expertly crafted suggestions on how to talk to your kids about AI. Like this one:
“Explore AI together. If young kids are using an AI chatbot or voice assistant, sit with them at first to help them learn to use it and get curious about its responses. As they get more comfortable, you can step back, but try to keep a conversation going about what they’re doing and experiencing. Make sure they know to come to you if a chatbot ever says anything inappropriate or upsetting.”
I have a few other suggestions, parent-to-parent.
Invite open-ended conversations with your kids about how to spot fake images or information and how they feel after. Read about my own experience here.
Empower them to advocate for themselves in wanting to know how a teacher may be using AI in the classroom, or what the school expectations of use are.
Take them to a museum to explore art and creative endeavours and chat about why generative AI wouldn’t be able to replace that, or how they might feel if they found out a piece of art they loved was generated by AI. Does that change anything for them?
Encourage their own skill mastery, and creative arts use. Perfection isn’t the goal, but trying and learning the steps to improve matter.
I don’t think we have to embrace AI to understand that it’s already influencing how we parent, how our kids are learning in schools, and how their future careers may be impacted.
Instead, having conversations honestly together will increase critical thinking, safe online use, and offer your children the tools to examine their changing world in a new way, with your guidance and support.
For more information about MediaSmarts’ AI Literacy Day, and to get access to resources and tools you can use as a parent or share with educators, go here.