AI 4 Children - Splash

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). As the global community reflects on progress made to date, one change from the world of 1989 will significantly impact the next 30 years for children's rights: artificial intelligence (AI). Recent progress in the development of AI systems are expected to profoundly influence life and work in the 21st century, raising both hopes and concerns for human development. As UNICEF explores the many compelling reasons to use AI for children's development (such as education, health and social welfare), it is also concerned about a world in which AI remains unchecked. AI systems, often working as "black boxes", raise issues of privacy, accountability, recourse and exclusion, particularly for those who are least aware of their rights in the digital age: children. Without a human-centered foundation to AI development, children's rights to learn, play and participate freely are at risk.