‘Ask us first’: Children demand a voice on AI’s future

The first generation to grow up with AI may also be the last one anyone thinks to ask about it – and that has to change, the UN's top human rights official said on Tuesday.“Today's children are the first generation to grow up with artificial intelligence – yet often the last to be asked for their views,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk told a high-level meeting in New York on protecting children in the age of AI, held on the sidelines of the General Debate. Children, he insisted, must be treated as full rights-holders in how AI is built and used – not an afterthought once the technology has already shaped their lives.The meeting was co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Kenyan President William Ruto and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.What’s the worry?Mr. Türk's office, working with partners, surveyed more than 1,000 children across 49 countries. Their answers paint a sharp picture of unease: fake images made of real people, personal data harvested and exploited, creativity quietly eroded, and a fear that AI could edge out real relationships with family, friends, teachers or therapists.The throughline was ...