Mediating Culture: Cultivating Socio-cultural Understanding of AI in Children through Participatory Design
Aayushi Dangol, Michele Newman, Robert Wolfe, Jin Ha Lee, Julie A. Kientz, Jason Yip, Caroline Pitt
Abstract
The surge in access to and awareness of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) such as ChatGPT has sparked discussion over the necessary technological literacies and competencies needed to effectively engage with these systems. In this context, we explore AI as a tool that mediates cultural understanding and remediates human values – that are often influenced by biases and inequities. Using participatory design for learning with a group of 13 children (ages 8-13), we engaged in five co-design sessions featuring different modalities for socio-cultural approaches to AI literacy. We found that children were more aware of the cultural mediation aspect of AI when the content of the interaction aligned with their cultural background and context. This underscored the significance of aligning the representation of culture in these GenAI systems with people’s socio-cultural ecosystems in modern technological literacies. We conclude with design principles for a more critical and holistic approach to AI literacy.