On 4 February 2025, approximately 150 children and young people aged between 8–18 from across the UK took part in the first ever Children’s AI Summit. The Children’s Manifesto for the Future of AI was developed from ideas, pitches and messages submitted to world leaders by children in the run-up to the summit. These ideas were further developed through consultation with children and young people. In total, around 200 children and young people have contributed to the development of this manifesto.
Coming straight from children themselves, this manifesto expresses their concerns and interests around the future of AI. It sets out their priorities and what they wanted world leaders at the Paris AI Action Summit to know about their hopes and concerns regarding AI.
Key actions asked of world leaders include the following:
- First and foremost – listen to children!
- Put in place new laws that make sure that AI is developed and used ethically.
- Create more education about AI, so people understand better what it is and how it works, and also how they can use it well.
- Require companies to be open and honest about the ways they use AI, and to be really clear about how AI systems have been developed.
- Make sure that all children have the opportunity to benefit from AI.
Other concerns included the unequal access to AI, the creation of fake news and videos, and unemployment caused by AI replacing jobs.
The hopes of children for AI include creating a safer and more inclusive online world for children, the creation of better medicines and healthcare, and the development of new tools for scientific research.
You can download the full manifesto here.
