Programme

Generation AI

Engaging stakeholders to build AI powered solutions that help realize and uphold child rights

Woman from Pakistan smiling in front of the camera

UNICEF/UN0154769/Syed

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While there are many uncertainties around Artificial Intelligence, we know that it will impact almost every part of our lives, and that in many cases the impacts will be greatest for children - from how they are conceived and born, to the services they can access, and how they learn, to the jobs they will train for.

This reality brings with it a tremendous amount of opportunity and risk. Without specific attention to children, the evolution of this technology will proceed without considering children’s specific needs and rights. The healthy development of children is crucial the future well being of any society, and the cost to society of failing our children is enormous.

visually edited picture of children being ranked by social media ratings — UNICEF/UN0120161

UNICEF seeks to work together with a diverse set of partners, including The World Economic Forum, UC Berkeley, Article One, Microsoft and others to set and lead the global agenda on AI and children - outlining the opportunities and challenges, as well as engaging stakeholders to build AI powered solutions that help realize and uphold child rights.

In a multi-year initiative, the team will consult experts across relevant fields (ranging from psychology, to industrial design, to AI science, to technology law, etc.) through formal desk research (including a dedicated Masters course at UC Berkeley and an evidence review by Baker Mckenzie), phone interviews, workshops, etc. to fill in the gaps in evidence where it is most needed to further child rights in the context of the extremely far reaching, fast-paced, and in some cases unpredictable, development of AI technologies. We will strengthen our formal research with collected insights from children relaying their hopes, worries, and visions for how technology may impact their lives. Taken together, this work will inform sets of actionable, specific recommendations for governments, companies, and caregivers that we will stress test before striving to implement through strategic partnerships.