Hi, I'm Tak@, a system integrator. AI is now permeating our daily lives and children's learning environments at an unprecedented speed.

Starting in the 2025 academic year, "Information" will become a compulsory subject in the Common Test for University Admissions, meaning an era where foundational AI and data science knowledge is tested is just around the corner.

The New Era AI Brings and Children's Reality

In modern society, AI is no longer a technology solely for experts. Smartphone recommendation features, conversations with smart speakers, automatic video captioning – all incorporate AI and have naturally integrated into our lives.

Specifically, opportunities for elementary school children to interact with AI in their daily lives are increasing year by year. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has positioned "information utilization ability" as a crucial part of academic aptitude, making the ability to master AI an indispensable skill for children to thrive in the future.

The Rapid Shift in Children's AI Environment

Thanks to the GIGA School Program, every elementary and junior high school student has been provided with a digital device and high-speed internet access. This has further promoted ICT education, and the latest guidelines for using generative AI in school education have also been published.

In fact, data shows that over 90% of public elementary schools in Tokyo have participated in generative AI tool demonstration projects, indicating that AI is steadily becoming more widespread in schools.

Honestly, I can't hide my surprise at the speed of this change.

In my experience as a System Integrator involved in system development, no other technology has permeated society so rapidly and extended its influence to the field of education.

However, many parents also express concerns like, "I'm worried about information leaks and misinformation," or "I don't know which AI tools are safe." There have even been reported cases where children's casual use of AI led to personal information leaks or billing issues.

Whether AI becomes an "intellectual aid" or an "intellectual anesthetic" for children largely depends on how we adults use and teach it.

Perhaps your child is already interacting with AI, too.

"AI Literacy" is the Foundation for Future Success

To navigate the AI era, AI literacy is an essential basic skill for children. AI literacy encompasses understanding the mechanisms and characteristics of AI, selecting and utilizing appropriate tools, and possessing ethical considerations such as copyright, information ethics, and privacy awareness.

Viewing AI as a "Tool"

AI generates new content based on input data and instructions.

For example, if you ask it to "draw summer vacation memories," AI instantly generates related text or images. It's like a "teacher who reads many books and answers your questions but doesn't have feelings."

It's crucial to recognize that AI doesn't have emotions or intentions like humans; it simply "operates based on what it has learned from data."

As an SIer, I've always felt that technological advancements are a double-edged sword. While they offer new conveniences, they also create unforeseen risks.

That's why, instead of blindly trusting AI as an omnipotent entity, we need the ability to understand its characteristics and use it appropriately. MEXT also explicitly states the importance of fostering the "ability to appropriately utilize" generative AI.

Practical Steps at Home for Safe AI Use

For children to safely use generative AI, active parental involvement and clear rules set within the family are essential. Children's judgment is still developing, and there's a risk of them encountering incorrect information or inappropriate content generated by AI.

Parent-Child Collaboration in AI Utilization and Risk Avoidance

• Share AI interaction experiences: Try using conversational AI like ChatGPT together with your child. Thinking of questions tailored to your child's interests, like "Tell me about dinosaurs," and then checking the accuracy of the information by looking up dinosaur books at the library, is an excellent opportunity to understand AI's characteristics.
• Absolutely prohibit entering personal information: It's easy to casually enter personal information like names, addresses, school names, or phone numbers when talking with AI. However, AI may use the interactions for learning, so there's always a non-zero risk of sensitive information being unintentionally disclosed to third parties. Teach your children the fundamental rule: "When talking to anyone on the internet, don't share personal details about yourself."
• Always use with adult supervision: While AI is convenient, it can be difficult for children to judge the accuracy and appropriateness of generated content on their own. When children use AI, adults should supervise and, by looking at the screen together, ask questions like "What does this mean?" or "Does this answer seem correct?" This helps deepen their understanding and enables them to use AI with confidence.
• "AI Trap" game to experience AI's limitations: AI is not omnipotent. Proposing games where you intentionally ask AI difficult questions to experience its limitations can be effective. For example, asking "Tell me what happened after 2025" (due to learning data limitations) or posing contradictory questions like "Think of a situation where 1+1=3." Through such questions, teach them not to blindly trust AI and that human judgment is necessary. Encourage the mindset that AI's answers are just "one possible inference."
• "AI Hunt" to find AI in daily life: Many AI applications are already embedded in our surroundings, such as smart speakers, automatic photo categorization, video captioning, and smartphone predictive text. Give your child a mission like "Let's find three AIs today!" and discuss what kind of work AI does and how it makes human life more convenient. This will deepen their understanding of AI.
• Challenge a small project using AI: Engaging in small projects where they create something using AI skills helps them acquire practical AI utilization skills. For instance, they could draw illustrations for short stories generated by AI, record conversations with AI to create an "AI interview" program, or even cook a recipe generated by AI. Sharing their completed work with family or posting it on social media can also provide a sense of accomplishment.

When I developed an AI Learning Planner, I felt the efficiency barrier break down. As a system designer in the field, I've always prioritized security measures. I believe that these persistent efforts are most important for creating an environment where children can safely interact with AI.

The Potential of AI to Foster Creativity

AI is not just a search tool. Rather, it has the potential to significantly enhance children's creativity and expressive abilities. By crafting effective prompts (instructions), children can experience bringing their imaginations to life.

Digital tools provide a "playground for trial and error" where they can try again and again without fear of failure.

The Expanding Scope of Learning Through Diverse AI Tools

• Text creation and idea generation: Using text-generating AI like ChatGPT, children can brainstorm continuations of stories or get advice on the structure of essays and reports. The case of Kyoto City University of Arts and Crafts High School reports using AI to draft content for their school website, which helped reduce workload.
• Image and video production: Image-generating AI allows instant creation of illustrations or photorealistic images from text instructions. This can be used for science observation sketches, creating picture diaries, or even designing original characters. Video-generating AI can automatically create short explanatory videos or presentation videos with simple instructions.
• Integration with programming education: Combining programming learning materials with generative AI can deepen learning even further. For example, using Scratch with image-generating AI to create characters for self-made games, or getting ideas from AI to code scenarios are practical applications. Ibaraki Prefectural Ryugasaki Daiichi High School has a case study where they used generative AI to create code for a Python application, successfully completing their desired app.

As a developer, I'm constantly thrilled by the creative possibilities of AI. I believe that children mastering AI and experiencing their imagination taking shape will boost their self-esteem and broaden their future options.

Protecting Children's Future Through Home and School Collaboration

In today's rapidly evolving AI society, it's crucial for homes and schools to collaborate closely and establish a shared understanding to protect and nurture children.

AI technology is advancing incredibly fast, and the associated risks are constantly changing, requiring continuous information updates and sharing.

Building the Foundation of AI Education Through Collaboration

MEXT has developed the "Guidelines for the Use of Generative AI in Elementary and Secondary Education" to promote appropriate use in schools. These guidelines particularly emphasize the following points:

• Appropriate use with safety in mind: It's crucial to comply with the latest terms of service set by providers, including checking AI service age restrictions and terms of use, and the necessity of parental consent.
• Ensuring information security: AI should be used in a secure environment based on educational information security policies. Warnings are issued against entering highly sensitive information, such as academic records, into prompts.
• Protecting personal information, privacy, and copyrights: Guidance is needed to prevent entering personal information like names and photos into prompts, and to avoid uses that could lead to copyright infringement.
• Ensuring fairness: AI output may contain biases, so teachers must constantly judge the appropriateness of the content and help children understand the existence of biases.
• Ensuring transparency and accountability to stakeholders: It's important to provide information about the purpose, methods, and risks of AI use to stakeholders and promote understanding.

In schools, teachers are also leveraging AI for administrative tasks to improve efficiency. For example, AI is being used to draft test questions and various documents, and to simulate classroom questions.

This allows teachers to dedicate more time to interacting with students and providing individualized support.

As with many projects, I believe that a shared understanding and collaboration among all stakeholders are key to success in education. As children have more opportunities to interact with AI outside of school, providing information and promoting understanding among parents is also indispensable to prevent inappropriate use at home.

Finally, As a Parent

AI has become an inseparable part of shaping our children's future. While it can sometimes easily consume time like a "digital snack" and potentially lead to addiction, it also possesses the power to dramatically enhance children's learning as an "intellectual aid."

"Mastering AI" Like a New Language

Research from Tohoku University suggests that longer screen time at age one is associated with delays in communication and problem-solving development at ages two and four.

However, the same study also reported that children who had longer screen time using educational programs showed higher language abilities. The research group emphasized that "screen devices also have an educational aspect, and the use of educational screen devices has been shown to have a positive impact on development."

This strongly suggests that AI is a "tool," and its "use determines" whether it has good or bad effects.

AI has limitations: it cannot understand emotions like humans, accurately predict the future, or guarantee that all information is correct. Therefore, it's crucial to teach children not to blindly trust AI answers or assume "it's correct because AI said so."

Helping children understand by telling them, "AI isn't a teacher who gives you the right answers, but a tool that helps you think together," is very important.

I believe that for children of this era, the ability to master AI will be as important as learning a new language. This goes beyond simply operating AI tools; it means understanding AI's characteristics, critically evaluating information, and, most importantly, fostering the ability to "think for oneself" even while using AI.

It is our responsibility as adults to guide children to proactively use AI as a "tool" and expand their own possibilities. For the sake of our children's future, how will we approach AI, and what kind of "intellectual aid" can we provide them?

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