The workshop is being led by CIFAR (Canadian Institute For Advanced Research), which is a Canadian-based, global charitable organization setting out to address science and humanity’s most important questions. The latest subject – artificial intelligence- is being considered in terms of the future development of the technology and how this will impact on the lives of children. Today children account for one-third of users of technology, and this level is set to continue as technology becomes more sophisticated.
Technology and its relationship with children has both a positive and negative impact. On the positive side, technology assist with education and improves learning; on the negative side, it can affect relationships, writing skills and there are patterns of mental health issues, especially in relation to social media.
These relationships are set to deepen as algorithms become more sophisticated and further shape in children’s online content. This is one of the areas that workshop leader Candice Odgers, co-director of CIFAR’s Child & Brain Development program, wishes to explore. In terms of opportunities, the workshop will address how future-state artificial intelligence can help to create equal learning opportunities, protect privacy and optimize opportunities for children.
With the negatives that need to be addressed, the workshop will consider the way that the algorithms that drive our media and technology can reinforce racism, sexism, abilism, and other forms of societal inequality and injustice. What is required is a new paradigm centred on developing ‘algorithmic justice for children‘.
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Discussing the aims of the workshop, Odhgers says: “My team has tracked adolescents on their mobile devices over the last decade and witnessed the rapid uptake in device use, screen time and online engagement. At the same time, we have seen increasing concerns about what this constant connectivity means for children’s health.”
