As artificial intelligence moves from science fiction into everyday fact, parents, educators, and carers face a pressing new reality: preparing the next generation to live - and thrive - in a world shaped by AI.

In this guest blog, to coincide with the release of her latest book for adults, Divinity Games, author and futurist Lou Gilmond, reflects on how we can help young people grasp the opportunities AI offers while guarding against its potential harms.

From chatbot ethics to deepfake detection, emotional resilience to hands-on learning, Lou explores why the human element still matters - and why now more than ever, it’s vital we empower children to think critically, act wisely, and write their own stories.

Over the next few years, whether we like it or not, AI is going to become a major part of our lives.

In the workplace, software products with the ability to hold conversations, read, write, and process data faster and more efficiently than a human will become commonplace.

At home, our gadgets will be voice driven, and in public AI products will be recognising us wherever there are cameras.

As science fiction becomes science fact, educators, carers and parents will need to figure out how best to equip the next generation with the skills needed to cope with this rapidly advancing technology - firstly to grasp the opportunities it brings, but also to give them the tools they need to navigate its associated dangers. 

Working with Chatbots

The most current dilemma related to AI and education is getting to grips with whether AI chatbots are a vital tool for children or a cheat’s best friend. Since Open AI launched its breakthrough chatbot, Chat GPT in 2022, the number of chatbots available for public use has grown significantly along with their capabilities. Think of them as a Google search engine on steroids. Not only can they help find or check information for an essay, they can actually now write the essay for them. And they can work to a theme. Write me an essay in the style of Donald Duck, President Trump, or… why not write me an essay in the style of a twelve-year-old so I can go and play!

The benefit of a student writing an essay is to carry out the process of sifting through what has been learned and structuring all those new facts and concepts into a structure that shows the student has grasped the subject matter. 

The student’s development and understanding grows through the process and the educator or parent has an opportunity to identify gaps in knowledge and address them. 

As a result, it’s essential that boundaries are placed on how children use chatbots so that they don’t miss an essential part of their learning experience by letting these artificial brains do the work for them. Chatbots can be used for information gathering, for sense checking and gathering ideas, but they shouldn’t be allowed to let the student bypass the learning process. It’s the modern-day equivalent of copying your homework from another student on the school bus.

Hands-on Learning

As AI becomes expert at creating a believable imitation of reality, it’s good to remember that hands-on learning is still a vital part of children’s development, particularly for younger children. Using all the senses to problem solve aids understanding and allows development of hand-eye coordination.

Already studies have shown that too much screen time can have a negative impact on mental health and impair ability to develop relationships with others. 

As virtual reality AI products (where the user is immersed into a virtual world) and enhanced reality products (when the user has the virtual world superimposed upon the real world) become more and more immersive, it will be increasingly important to create time out for games and lessons that are centred in the real, physical world.

Keep an Emotional Distance

The greatest leap forward in chatbot technology is their ability to understand written and spoken words and to react in a convincingly human, conversational manner.

Already companies are offering the services of digital personal assistants, digital friends, and even digital replicas designed to mimic lost loved ones - all with ‘personalities’ hard wired into the programs.

It will be important to guide both old and young children into keeping an emotional distance when working with such digital products, drawing a distinction between what is real and what is not real, and making sure they do not develop attachments to digital ‘friends’.

Navigating Deep-Fakes

As the internet becomes cluttered with AI-generated fake images and videos, children will need to become equipped with skills to be able to tell the difference between fake and real.

They’ll also need to be able to understand how to find trusted sources of information. 

Working with a child on their early journeys of navigating an immersive virtual space will become as essential as setting parental controls on young people’s devices to properly safeguard them.

Becoming a Human Champion

As an author who writes conspiracy thrillers set five minutes into the future, I spend a lot of time considering what our heroes of tomorrow are going to look like.

As the next generation come into their own, it will be for them to manage the challenges that AI brings - solving the moral dilemma of how much we want to be tracked, monitored and listened to by AI; managing the challenge of jobs lost to AI; and perhaps even ensuring humanity does not ultimately lose out to its own creation.

And to have the skills to do that, goes back to helping children write their own essays rather than letting AI do it for them.

The Author

Thank you to Lou Gilmond for sharing her thoughtful insights and timely recommendations on navigating the age of AI with clarity, caution, and creativity.

The third book in her Kanha and Colbey Thrillers series, Divinity Games was described by our expert reviewer Joanne Owen as "especially powerful as a result of its pertinent presentation of how all-pervasive (and invasive) AI could become."

When an opposition MP stumbles upon a secret alliance between high-ranking government officials and a powerful tech giant, he becomes the target of an unsettling and invisible campaign of sabotage. His travel cards stop working, his phone loses signal, and he’s met with red lights at every turn. Only his ally, who’s digging into the mysterious death of another anti-corruption MP, takes him seriously.

But things take a darker turn when the MP's daughter becomes engaged to the son of one of the tech magnates. Drawn deep into the world he’s trying to expose, he must risk everything to uncover the truth. In a society under constant surveillance and controlled by AI, speaking out could cost him everything.

"While the sense of threat and menace never lets up, Divinity Games is especially powerful as a result of its pertinent presentation of how all-pervasive (and invasive) AI could become, and “there was no putting the genie back in the bottle”.  Read Joanne's full review for Divinity Games and find all three books in the series. 

Check out our related collection: 30+ Books to Help Kids use Technology Responsibly, Navigate Social Media and Stay Safe Online for Safer Internet Day