Session
Research ICT Africa
Zara Schroeder, Research ICT Africa Diana Nyakundi, Research ICT Africa Jamie Fuller, Research ICT Africa Jackline Akello, Research ICT Africa
Zara Schroeder, Research ICT Africa Diana Nyakundi, Research ICT Africa Jamie Fuller, Research ICT Africa Jackline Akello, Research ICT Africa
Jackline Akello
Jamie Fuller
Targets: The proposal aims to ensure the safe inclusion of African children in online learning environments, safeguarding them from potential harms associated with AI when using educational technology and platforms. It emphasizes that every child should have the opportunity to learn online without encountering risks. African children face greater vulnerabilities compared to their counterparts in the Global North. Thus, it's crucial to recognize these vulnerabilities, establish policies to reduce risks, and ensure their protection. Currently, there's a lack of regulation concerning AI's impact on African children. This session aims to provide a platform for discussing this issue and generating potential solutions. It will address various harms, particularly focusing on mental health implications that children may experience due to AI usage. Consequently, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all ages, and ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities is paramount for this session's objectives.
The session will begin with a conversation between Zara Schroeder and Diana Nyakundi where Jackline Akello will moderate a 15 minute discussion between the two speakers. Thereafter, Jackline Akello will moderate a 15 minute Question and Answer round with the participants, Zara Schroeder and Diana Nyakundi will respond to any queries being raised during that aspect of the session.
This session will address the ethical and regulatory challenges and policy gaps in the new forms of AI-driven children’s play and entertainment. It sheds light on the interaction of children with algorithms, their immersion into the digital world, and the protections that ought to be in place to ensure their safety, security, and privacy. Since AI has become such an integral aspect of children's lives, especially through interactions and learning, this lightning talk best fits under the IGF 2024's theme of 'Advancing Human Rights and Inclusion in the Digital Age". The session delves into children’s interactions with smart toys, online games and social media; it zooms in on the effects of these digital entertainment platforms on children’s health, development, and social interactions. The session explores the existing policies and regulations and provides recommendations aligned to the existing gaps and potential threats to children. Whilst providing a unique focus on children’s entertainment in the African context, an under explored and often overlooked area in the literature, this session will deeply reflect on the impact of AI on children and the need to develop ethical AI principles that directly apply to them. This session aims to ultimately provide guiding principles and policies to take into consideration in the design, development, and deployment of AI-enabled tools that children interact with.
1) The moderator of the session, Jackline Akello, will facilitate participation between onsite and online participants through prompts such as insightful comments and questions. The speakers will also provide scope for responses to their respective talks by raising thought-provoking questions which should encourage input from participants. 2) The session will be designed in a way that facilitates equal participation from online and onsite participants through the use of online tools to enhance engagement during the session. 3) The session will make use of a menti meter at the beginning of the session to kick-start thoughts and questions, then after the talk from the speakers a Miro board will be used to brainstorm solutions to mitigate risks for African children with regards to AI.