EMPOWERING YOUTH AS DESIGNERS OF Al APPLICATIONS AND AUDITS

Today's discussions about Al mostly focus on helping youth to become competent users of Al systems which mediate their daily experiences from social connections and music consumption to gaming interactions and learning. I will be offering a different proposal, one that sees youth not just as users but also as designers of Al systems which support their creative capabilities while also fostering critical engagement. My showcase will include examples of how youth can create babyGPTs, their own small generative language models, and also critically examine generative Al to promote a better understanding of Al technologies. We must empower youth to navigate, critique, and shape these technological futures that define their worlds.
YASMIN B. KAFAI IS THE LORI AND MICHAEL MILKEN PRESIDENT'S DISTINGUISHED
PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA'S GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, WITH A SECONDARY APPOINTMENT IN COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCE. SHE CO-DEVELOPED SCRATCH AT MIT, NOW USED BY OVER 150 MILLION YOUNG PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. HER RESEARCH ENCOMPASSES ALGORITHM AUDITING IN MACHINE LEARNING, ENGAGING STUDENTS IN AI APPLICATION DESIGN, AND PIONEERING ELECIRONIC TEXTILES INTEGRATION THROUGH THE EXPLORING COMPUTER SCIENCE CURRICULUM. AUTHOR OF MULTIPLE MIT PRESS BOOKS
INCLUDING CONNECTED CODE AND CONNECTED GAMING, SHE RECENTLY CO-EDITED DESIGNING CONSTRUCTIONIST FUTURES. SHE HOLDS A DOCTORATE FROM HARVARD UNIVERSITY AND IS AN ELECTED FELLOW OF AERA AND ISLS.

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