Schooled by AI: What parents should know about the programs reshaping early education

From an iPad on their kitchen table, a digital voice reads out a story to Dipti Bhide and her son, Rohan.

It's about an astronaut that went to Mars, met an alien and found some space rocks before coming back to Earth. The pair, who live in Coquitlam, B.C., are the first people to ever hear the story, which was created using suggestions from Rohan, which were then keyed into the artificial intelligence (AI) program his mother created. 

Rohan, who is eight years old, is completely absorbed in the story.

"It's a story he created so he's very motivated," said his mother.

Bhide isn't the first developer to imagine the potential of advanced computer automation for kids learning. Her program is one of many new AI offerings, like Funexpected Math or Ello, available for purchase online that promise to engage young children in the seeming limitlessness of the technology.

But while the programs claim to improve a child's grasp of the fundamentals, education researchers say the enormous potential comes with evolving concerns around privacy, transparency and biases that could cause potential harm, particularly given the young age of prospective users.

Some of these concerns were outlined in a recent report from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and the standards-developer CSA Group, which found policymakers have failed to recognize children's "privacy rights, distinct needs, as well as the unique circumstances of children," with most policy responses remaining "mostly adult-centric." 

Despite the unknowns, apps for people of all ages continue to launch, as developers ride the wave of interest in AI, sprouting technology that aims to do everything from improving medical diagnoses to helping seniors make art.

Bhide tells CBC she wants to make sure her children are ready for the inevitable rise of artificial intelligence in their future and her LittleLit program is a "co-pilot" in their education. 

"AI exists now. What skills do you need to teach your child to keep up with that, and hey, AI can help with that as well," she said.

Elizabeth Adams, a U.S.-based clinical psychologist and co-founder of AI-powered program Ello, tells CBC she is concerned about developers using the technology without the right educational approach. 

Ello uses child speech recognition technology and AI to build an online reading coach for kids using an AI avatar in the form of a friendly blue elephant called Ello, which listens along and corrects children as they read aloud.

"The challenge is that there's a rush and there might be products on the market that aren't safe or that aren't the best experiences for kids," said Adams.

"I worry if some of that goes awry that parents are going to have their guardrails up even more."