Foundations: AI, Society, and Children

This unit introduces foundational concepts about artificial intelligence, its capabilities and limitations, and the ways AI is reshaping work, relationships, play, and global structures. Students examine how data, design choices, and policy intersect with child development, rights, and equity to prepare for applying pedagogical and ethical responses in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze how AI-driven changes to work, love, and play and shifting global dynamics affect children, families, and learning contexts, citing concrete examples from online and offline settings
• Evaluate core AI concepts, data practices, and common misconceptions (including hype, the ‘magic wand’ fallacy, and medium-specific effects) to distinguish realistic capabilities from overstated claims
• Analyze ethical, equity, and developmental implications of AI for children—addressing beta-testing on vulnerable populations, surveillance risks, disability considerations, demographic trends, and child rights—using relevant case examples
• Apply existing regulatory frameworks and protective strategies to propose measurable recommendations that mitigate risks to children in educational and family contexts, laying groundwork for classroom- and curriculum-level design in later units