Tech innovators have been warning for some time now about the downsides of artificial intelligence (AI), from the creation of deepfake videos to the loss of jobs to total human extinction.
But missing from most of these discussions is how AI directly affects children — even though the technology is already here, in kids’ playrooms and bedrooms.
Manufacturers already offer a wide selection of AI-enabled products for children, with the next generation of AI devices “likely to become electronic babysitters” — “AI nannies” or “nanny bots” — and used like television and video games to lighten caregiving duties.
The technology’s interface with kids raises important concerns about its effect on their emotional and neurological development and their privacy.
Dr. Michelle Perro, co-author of “What’s Making our Children Sick?” who spent 40 years in pediatric practice, told The Defender:
“Communication between parent and child is more than just a neural interplay. Immeasurable elements exist in addition to verbal communication — such as facial expressions, tonal variations and the oft-disregarded energetic exchanges that go on between humans that are impossible to capture by AI.
“Children learn with six senses, and the emotional intelligence imparted via communication is a key part of this learning. Not to mention, there are cultural variations that are imparted in language and communication development that would be lost with AI nannies.”
PERCEPTION RESET 