Many Children overestimate the intelligence of smart speakers like Alexa and Siri and often wonder if these smart speakers can think and speak like humans or not. In a new study researchers explain that children may think that these smart speakers are just like humans and that they are not just tech devices following the commands of humans. They may rely on smart speakers completely, thinking that they can work like humans.
Children use smart speakers supported by AI like Alexa at home but they cannot understand how human-like these devices are. A survey was done with children to find out how intelligent they think that smart speakers are. Three out of ten who were surveyed believed that smart speakers can think for themselves while four out of ten said that they are not sure if they can or not. Many children also didn’t know the privacy concerns that come with using smart speakers at home.
To assess how much children know about smart speakers, researchers from Moray House of Education and Sports surveyed 166 children of ages six to eleven. The purpose of the survey was to know how many children knew about AI and smart speakers associated with it. According to the survey, 93% of the children had a smart speaker at their home, mostly Alexa. Eight out of ten children knew that smart speakers are more like AI than humans. But two-thirds of them thought that smart speakers are more like humans. Most children thought that devices like Alexa are really smart.
70% of the children said that it is rude to be mean to those devices. The lead author of the study, Dr Valentina Andries, says that this study is important to find out the understanding of children regarding these devices. We need to spread awareness about these devices to children so they can ensure their safety and become responsible while interacting with these devices. They also need to know more about AI as AI is becoming an important part of life and is also being used in education. Children should be taught about AI in schools so they can learn how to handle them without compromising their privacy.
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