Baltimore-based entrepreneur Amber Ivey, creator AIDigiCards, developed a card deck to teach young children how to navigate artificial intelligence in a safe, responsible, and informed manner.
Research shows that young children spend several hours a day on screens with platforms that “learn” what they like to feed them more of it. This is artificial intelligence (AI) at work, and it understandably worries parents and teachers, because the algorithms AI use to entertain kids also make it harder for them to turn away from the screens.
Ivey is convinced that knowledge is the key to online safety, so she decided to harness the power of children’s imaginations to help them develop awareness and fluency in AI. She channeled her own knowledge into creating a completely screen-free game for children ages 4–8 called the ABCs of AI Activity Deck. The activity deck is a collection of 130 brightly illustrated cards introducing children to AI literacy.
A sought-after speaker on AI, data, research, public policy, and more, Ivey has both a Master of Professional Studies and a law degree. She was recognized by CDO Magazine as a Global Data Power Woman and has published a children’s book called “AI…meets…AI” – the title a play on her own initials being “AI.”
She started a Kickstarter campaign to fund the AI DigiCards deck, which went live on Nov. 4 and exceeded its goal of $2,500 in 13 hours. It is now in the “stretch goal” phase, where if they raise $7,500, they will be able to create digital expansion packs.
“I don’t think you have to put a screen in front of a kid to teach them,” Ivey told Baltimore Fishbowl. “And what I’m trying to say is that kids should be up to speed, but we should do it on the right time horizon when parents and teachers are ready, and the kids are ready. And not before that. So that’s why the deck came about.”
Ivey said that 70% of parents are reducing screen time for their children, and particularly in affluent communities, parents are moving their children to “dumb” phones. Children and teenagers are deleting their social media and portals to online bullying and apps that have led to children suffering from suicidal ideation or even dying from suicide.
“I talk to parents [and] teachers all the time, and everyone — and we hear this in the news — was afraid of screen time even before AI,” Ivey said. “Now insert AI into your kid’s stuffed animal or into your kid’s Barbie. Mattel is going to be putting AI into toys. So, if kids are already addicted to screens in some way, shape or another, and then in their favorite toy, now what does it mean for a computer that we don’t know, that we didn’t vet, … interacting with our kids?”
Ivey created the ABCs of AI Activity Deck as the antidote. For each letter of the alphabet there are five cards, each with definitions, stories, games, activities, and optional audio features to keep all kinds of learners engaged. The deck aims to promote curiosity, creativity, and confidence in children, giving them the skills they need to understand what is in front of them on a screen rather than be manipulated by it.
“When my niece started talking to Alexa before she could read, I realized how early AI is shaping childhood,” Ivey said. “Parents shouldn’t have to choose between limiting screens and preparing their kids for the future. AIDigiCards helps them do both.”
Knowing how long AI has been around might also lessen people’s fears surrounding it. Ivey said that when she does AI workshops for kids in Baltimore City and other cities, she asks them how long they think AI has been around. They always yell out answers like “Five years!” or “10 years!” and they are shocked to learn it has been around since the 1950s.
“I always bring up, ‘AI is old enough to be your grandparent or great-grandparent,’ depending on the age they are,” Ivey said. “What’s new is the version of AI that we’ve been given access to, large language models, has been published beyond research, but for everyday humans to use. …[It’s] put into folks’ hands in a way that we haven’t seen…We’re just seeing it in ways that’s now democratized.”
ChatGPT is, of course, one example. But going back further, Netflix suggesting shows a viewer might enjoy based on their watching history is also a version of AI. Car directional navigation systems use AI. The ABCs of AI DigiCards gives children the language and understanding to recognize when AI is being used.
Ivey developed the deck using the Day of AI organization, which builds out curriculums for educators through Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education (RAISE). The deck aligns closely with MIT RAISE’s elementary school curriculum. She still wants the deck to be fun.
“I believe that kids, and humans in general, we learn through education and entertainment,” Ivey said. “So, it’s trying to help them get both parts of that. They’re getting the education, but it’s also something that’s fun. They can do it with their families, they can do it with their friends, they can do in their classroom. And then they’re also learning these concepts. So then when someone does throw a laptop in front of them, they know how to use the AI and some of the warnings and things they should think about as an informed person, especially in a world where they are the AI 1st generation.”
How about a card deck on how to play outside with other kids?