Co-creating with children to teach AI: Turning their Experiences into Educational Resources.

What is it about?

This article explains a new way of teaching children about Generative AI by involving them directly in the creation of learning materials. The authors worked with 18 secondary school students from underrepresented backgrounds to understand how children use, feel about and make sense of AI tools. Children first explored AI tools, then created cartoon characters and finally used those characters to express their thoughts about AI - its benefits, risks, biases and limitations. Children's ideas, prompts and discussions were turned into open access animated video stories and an educational toolkit for teachers. These materials can be freely used to help schools teach key AI literacy skills, such as prompt engineering, evaluating AI outputs, understanding bias and artificial hallucinations and staying safe online. The resources have been recommended by the Scottish government and have been included in its official report on AI guidelines and guardrails for schools. What makes this project genuinely special is that it listens to children's voices. Too often, AI literacy resources are designed for young people without ever asking what they actually think, feel or experience. By using storytelling and avatar‑based reflection, this research gave children a safe, creative way to express their views on bias, misinformation, safety and fairness. For me, the value lies in that shift from top‑down instruction to co‑creation. Children are not passive recipients of AI knowledge but they become critics and storytellers. That makes the learning more meaningful, but it also ensures that educational resources reflect real concerns and voices, especially as children are often left out of conversations about AI emerging technologies. It’s also unique because it blends rigorous empirical research with creative methods. Turning focus‑group insights into animated stories is not something you see in traditional AI education. Yet it works by making abstract concepts like bias, privacy and hallucinations understandable and memorable. This project matters because it treats children as partners in shaping responsible AI futures. It shows that when we give children the tools and space to explore AI critically and creatively, they rise to the challenge and they can teach us much more than what we can teach them. We would like to gratefully acknowledge the support of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council [grant number EP/Y009800/1], through funding from Responsible Ai UK (RAI-SK-BID-00024 & CC-00111).

Featured Image

Photo by Enchanted Tools on Unsplash

Photo by Enchanted Tools on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The study used an innovative method called Storytelling Empirical Research Translation (SERT). SERT combines research, creativity and storytelling. The SERT approach successfully transformed complex research insights into engaging and relatable narratives for an audience of children. The study shows that co‑creating resources with children helps to make AI education more inclusive, engaging and meaningful. It also empowers students to express their perspectives on GenAI rather than passively consuming information.

Perspectives