™
Back
How to talk to your child about AI
9 November 2026 · AI, Safety
Children meet AI in voice assistants, recommendation feeds, photo apps and chatbots. They don't need a computer science degree to understand it, but a few honest ideas go a long way.
What AI does
Most AI you'll hear about is a program that has learned patterns from lots of examples. Show it thousands of labelled photos and it learns what a cat tends to look like. Show it lots of writing and it learns which words tend to follow which.
Why it can be wrong
- It learns from examples, so if the examples are missing something, it can get that wrong.
- It can sound confident when it's mistaken.
- It doesn't understand things the way people do. It finds patterns.
Three habits to teach
- Check: compare an AI answer with a trusted source, like a book, a teacher or a parent.
- Protect: don't share names, addresses, school details or photos.
- Ask well: ask for hints and explanations, not just answers. You learn by doing the thinking.
Questions to ask together
- How do you think it knew that?
- What could it have got wrong?
- How could we check?
In the quarter STEM lab, children try nearest-neighbour examples, see how lopsided data leads to unfair results and work through a tiny artificial neuron. The optional AI tutor is designed to ask questions and give hints, not to hand over answers.