A great story featuring my HGSE colleague Phil Capin on how federal funding terminations are impacting research at Harvard—as well as American science and society:

Takeaways: .AI cannot replace human interactions, but in some contexts, AI-led dialogue can create immersive and playful learning experiences. Children see AI as agentic entities--has implications for how they interpret AI's intent, form relationships, and assess trustworthiness.

There are significant age differences in this tendency.

We also used this opportunity to test how children perceive generative AI. Compared to humans, most children did not see AI as capable of feeling emotions or sensations (experience), but they generally viewed AI as capable of making decisions and acting intentionally (agency).

Project #2 uses AI to support children’s math language by co-creating stories with them, leading to benefits comparable to working with human partners. These gains were likely driven by increased exposure to target vocabulary and opportunities to practice using the words.

Another interesting finding: while children in both conditions started with a similar rate of responding to Elinor’s questions, those interacting with the responsive Elinor became more inclined to talk over time, and those in the pseudo-interactive condition became less engaged.

These interactive videos help children learn better and outperform pseudo-interactive videos (think Dora the Explorer type), where the character asks the same question but only pauses for a fixed time and gives generic feedback.

project#1 is with PBS KIDS to incorporate AI into TV shows, so the character asks children science questions, understands their responses, and provides responsive feedback.

Well, got a bit sidetracked by the funding cuts—the prelude became a summary 😅 #SRCD. Presented findings from two projects on AI and learning, and were excited to see so much interest in the topic!.

Our group will be at #SRCD2025 this Thursday and Friday! will be part of four symposia sharing our work on children's learning and interactions with AI. There will be a thread to share highlights--more to come!.

Next step: we’ll bring the AI interactive videos to kids’ homes through a one-month study. We are curious to see if this month-long usage will not only support comprehension but also help kids apply what they learn to solve real-life problems. Stay tuned!.

Thank you @APA_Journals for featuring us! This study is part of a 5+ year partnership with PBS KIDS to explore how AI can enhance children’s STEM learning from TV programs. When kids talk to the characters, they comprehend the science concepts better and are more engaged.

RT @hgse: In the first Askwith Forum of the school year, explore the potential promise of AI to shape education. @martmcal of @GoogleForEdu….

Congratulations!!!! We're so lucky to work with you.

RT @childrenscreens: What are the risks (and opportunities) for #child use of #GenerativeAI tech? Read our new tip sheet on the topic—featu….

RT @zhangchaodesign: ❤️This is a collaborative work with a wonderful team of co-authors during my time as a visiting researcher @UMichEduca….

Thank you for having me! It was fun and inspiring to talk with such a group of thoughtful scholars. Look forward to more opportunities for us to exchange ideas in the future😊.

RT @NikkiLobczowski: The 2024 ATL/LS SIG Graduate Student Mentoring Program is accepting applications! All grad student members of @AERASIG….

RT @michigan_AI: Happy to share that Prof. @xuwanghci has received @NSF funding, together w/ Prof. Ying Xu (U-M School of Education), to su….

Same here!.