Flying cars, robots and similar things are what many people imagine when it comes to artificial intelligence. So dreams of the future? Not quite. In this article, you will find out where we already encounter artificial intelligence in everyday life and what this has to do with your child’s media education.
Artificial intelligence, or AI for short, is a very broad term. This usually refers to machines or computer systems that can mimic human intelligence. To do this, they are fed information until they can apply it independently to solve tasks. This also means that they can learn from mistakes and thus constantly improve. For example, if a computer is fed a very large number of photos of human faces, at some point it will be able to tell for sure whether or not a photo has a human face in it. In this case, it is a so-called “weak AI” because it is intelligent only in relation to a specific subject. Research is also being conducted on a “strong AI” that could have the intellectual capabilities of a human, e.g., think logically or plan ahead. However, the strong AI does not yet exist. And if it should exist one day – it will probably not have feelings and thus will be fundamentally different from us humans.
With facial recognition , artificial intelligence has already become part of our everyday lives: Perhaps someone in your family also uses “Face ID” to unlock the smartphone. Here, the smartphone recognizes whether it is the face of a very specific person. AI is also being used in voice assistants and streaming services. Alexa, Siri and Co. “remember” when they are addressed by their name (“Hey, Alexa”). Netflix recommends movies that match the content you’ve recently watched. Algorithms also play a role in this. With so-called smart toys, children can interact while playing – this also works thanks to AI. For example, a smart cuddly toy can search the Internet for answers to your child’s questions and then read them aloud.
Artificial intelligence can make our lives easier in many situations. But there are also risks associated with the use of AI. For example, so-called deep fakes can be used to create deceptively real images or videos that support the spread of fake news. If AI is used at home, for example via a voice assistant or smart toys, it is also important to look at the manufacturer’s data protection measures and use existing security settings. If the data is not stored on the device itself, but in a cloud, there is a risk that third parties can access and misuse the data. There are also many legal questions for which there is no conclusive solution at the present time: For example, who should be liable in the future if a decision made by an AI causes damage? This is one reason why the use of self-driving cars, for example, is not yet readily possible.
Artificial intelligence has arrived in our everyday lives and is likely to become increasingly important in the future. Children and young people are already growing up with many applications based on AI as a matter of course. This makes it all the more important that they understand what AI is and how it works. Younger children often find it difficult at first to distinguish between an object activated by AI and a real living being. Age-appropriate explanatory videos and articles are suitable for teaching children and young people about artificial intelligence. There are also games in which you can train an AI yourself and thus learn to understand how it works in a playful way. Here we have put together a few offers for you:
We come across terms like this all the time when it comes to digital media and the Internet. But what are cookies and what do algorithm and filter bubble mean? Do they influence what we see and read on the web?
When you’re on the web, you’re asked to accept or set up cookies on a perceived constant basis. Before that, you won’t even get to the actual content you want to view. This can be quite annoying. In doing so, this query serves to protect our data.
Cookie comes from English and translates as “cookie” or “cookie”. When people talk about cookies on the Internet, they are referring to small amounts of data. The server stores them permanently or for a certain time when reading web pages. For example, it is stored how long a person was on the page or whether something was purchased. When the person comes to the page again, the server recognizes that they have been there before. Page operators can thus record the behavior and design their page accordingly. Cookies are often used to target advertising.
If personal data is collected with cookies, users must first agree to this or reject it. Therefore, when you visit a web page, the query comes. Even if it is a bit of a pain, it makes sense to set the cookies individually or to accept only “essential cookies” so that as little personal data as possible about you and your child can be stored and possibly passed on to third parties.
Through cookies, certain search terms and our click behavior, algorithms can create a digital profile of a person.
An algorithm is used in a computer application to solve a particular problem. A sequence of mathematical instructions is executed. For example, a navigation system uses an algorithm to find the fastest route to the destination. Another example is Google‘s page rank algorithm, which determines which web pages appear first in the search engine’s hit list.
As soon as a specific topic is searched for on the web, algorithms take effect – also on the basis of cookie data. Priority is given to articles that correspond to one’s own opinion and interest. Although this is practical, because there is so much information on the net that without such software we would not be able to choose the right one so quickly and easily. However, due to the large amount of data collected about us, we can also get caught in a so-called filter bubble .
Filter b ubble or bubble means content and other people that match our opinion and interests. On the Internet, our usage behavior means that we are increasingly being shown content that corresponds to this.
This can lead to the fact that we inform ourselves only one-sidedly, without wanting it. In extreme cases, we speak of a so-called echo chamber: posts and statements that contradict our opinion are blanked out and instead we keep getting our opinion confirmed. This can lead to the fact that only one’s own opinion and world view are perceived as correct. People of extreme opinions can thus become more susceptible to fake news, manipulation and certain ideologies.
In this context, the variety of objective information is important in order to form one’s own opinion and to be able to adapt it to new findings. Unfortunately, however, the filter bubble cannot be completely avoided due to the algorithms on the net. But there are some approaches to keeping it as open as possible:
Even children find themselves in a filter bubble as soon as they are active on the Net. Therefore, talk to your child about such mechanisms on the net and promote comprehensive information and media literacy. This also includes knowledge about and dealing with fake news.
A router is a network device that provides a stable Internet connection and can connect computers together. Most often it is connected to the DSL connection. The router shares the Internet signal with other computers and smartphones via a WLAN signal. To be able to receive the WLAN signal, a password or so-called WLAN key must usually be entered in the device settings. The devices are then all on the same network. This allows information to be exchanged via the WLAN among the devices registered in the home network.
Children are inquisitive and want to understand things. Perhaps your child has also asked you how the Internet actually works, what structures and processes are behind it. Adults and children come into contact with the Internet every day and are on the move online. For an enlightened approach to it, computer science lessons are increasingly on the agenda in schools as well. For example, children learn how to construct their own programs, known as software, and use them to build robots or transmit messages using small mini-computers called CALLIOPE.
Calliope-mini|Source: https://pixabay.com/de/calliope-mini-calliope-computer-2755554/
But what is software anyway? In order to work on the computer or tablet, it is necessary to install various programs or software. On mobile devices, these are called apps. For example, there are writing programs like Microsoft Word or Internet browsers like Google Chrome. Many of us use so-called “free software” such as Firefox, Chrome, OpenOffice or the VLC media player. Such programs are also installed on many school computers, since free software is mostly available free of charge and has a high level of quality. “Free” means that the program is mostly free to use and you can give away as many copies as you want. So anyone can use this software. The software of the mini-computer CALLIOPE is also included, so that all students can have access to it.
In this context, one often speaks of “open source”. This means the same as Free Software, but focuses on a different aspect. Translated, open source means “free source”. This means that it is disclosed how the software is programmed or how the hardware (i.e. the components of a computer) is assembled. Anyone can access the source and develop it further, modify it or draw attention to errors in the software or hardware. Among other things, students can use computers like CALLIOPE to learn how well-known open source programs like Firefox work. Very many people work on the same program, which allows it to constantly evolve and improve. Despite the mostly free use, there are various license conditions that must be observed (often related to the editing of the source code). A counter-model to open source is “proprietary software”, such as Microsoft Office. With these pay programs, you don’t know what programming is behind them. Also, you can often only install them on one computer – depending on which license you bought.
