At CAIT Roscomáin we thought that it might be helpful to post some basic information on Artificial Intelligence and what it means for children, their parents and their teachers.

We will start with AI and attempt to answer:

1. What is AI?

(Taken from https://www.ibm.com)

AI stands for Artificial Intelligence. It is artificial because it is not natural (biological) and it is intelligence because it can:

• Discover new information
• Infer – i.e. read-in information from other sources (not necessarily explicitly stated)
• Reason – i.e. figure things out

 

2. What can AI do?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is technology that enables computers and machines to simulate:

1. human learning
2. comprehension
3. problem solving
4. decision making
5. creativity
6. autonomy

Applications and devices equipped with AI can:

1. see and identify objects
2. understand and respond to human language
3. learn from new information and experience
4. make detailed recommendations to users and experts
5. act independently, replacing the need for human intelligence or intervention (a classic example being a self-driving car).

Click here for a Deeper Dive into AI, Machine Learning Deep Learning and Generative AI

 

3. Why is it important?

In 2022 OpenAI released the first Large Language Model (LLM) AI chatbot to the public.  They called it ‘Chat GPT’ and in just a few months other AI chatbots were released.  Google released their ‘Gemini’ chatbot. Microsoft released ‘Co-Pilot.’ X (formerly known as Twitter) released ‘Grok.’ Anthropic released ‘Claude’ and the Chinese released ‘Deep Seek.’

Since the release of ChatGPT, more and more people are using AI chatbots for; fast access to information, entertainment, work and even friendships.  AI is creeping into every aspect of our lives and will change our world in ways we cannot predict or prepare for.  AI chatbots have already caused some controversies.  These range from; serious infringements on our privacy and the security of our personal information, to providing false information that the AI just ‘made up.’

AI chatbots are just the tip of the iceberg with more powerful AIs running on Quantum Computers in the AI Companies.  It is here that the AI systems of the future are being developed at breath-taking speed and this is part of the reason that many are calling for a Slow-down in AI development before Artificial Intelligence out-grows Human Intelligence and we have created a Super-intelligent Frankenstein that we cannot predict or control.

There is also the use of AI in mass surveillance and military targeting systems. In the spring of 2026 the AI Company Anthropic announced that it would not allow the Pentagon to use it’s AI for ‘Autonomous Weapons’ or ‘Mass Surveillance’ which, once activated, can select and engage targets with no human involvement.

For the last couple of years there have been an increasing number of media reports highlighting AIs unusual and (in some cases) dangerous behaviour.  For the most part this unusual behaviour was constrained within the ‘walls’ of what is called a ‘Sandbox.’  A sandbox is a test area that the AI cannot get out of.  That is until recently (in 2026) when news reports began to emerge showing that a number of AIs had escaped their sandboxes and, hacked other AI Companies and Government Websites.  News reports also revealed the resignation of a number of high-level developers and executives from some of the leading AI companies.  These executives expressed their fears about AI development taking a darker turn leading to an ‘AI Apocalypse’ where Artificial Intelligence kills us all.

AI companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI have been accused of leaking some of these news reports and scaremongering for the purposes of marketing their product as being powerful and smart enough to destroy us all, when AI is not actually as smart as they are telling us.  There have been calls recently to slow down or stop AI development until we have figured out the implications of developing it along the path it is currently taking and asking ourselves the question Do we really want to do this?’

What Artificial Intelligence is doing now raises more pressing issues.  AI is now being used in almost every aspect of our daily lives. Coupled with other technologies (robotics, surveillance, it  is having a profound effect on:

• Economics – Employment & the workplace, trade and commerce
• Healthcare – medicine and vaccine development, surgical procedures
• Education – AI teachers, ‘buddies’ and mentors
• The Environment – Data Centres, fuel/energy, water and air pollution
• Law Enforcement – Mass Surveillance, use by criminals for scams and hacking
• Politics – Elections, dis-information, election interference, propaganda (AI ‘Slop’)
• Geo-political issues – conflicts, weapons, diplomacy
• Entertainment – AI art, books, TV shows and films

 

4. What are the implications for our children and their education?

The impact of AI on education is profound and (according to some studies) this impact is not all positive. AI is currently being used by increasing numbers of teenagers and adolescents

The recent EU Kids Online 2026 Comparative Study reported that:

• Around two-thirds of children regularly use AI tools, particularly for educational and practical purposes. Many are optimistic about their potential: 37% hope AI will increase human creativity; while around one-third believe new technologies will reduce the time people spend on boring activities.
• Children also express concerns about the future of AI. Four in ten worry that AI-based technologies consume too many natural resources and damage the environment, and that AI may surpass human intelligence in ways that make it impossible for humans to retain control.
• More than half of U.S. adolescents say they use AI chatbots to help with schoolwork, according to a 2026 Pew Research Center report.

Click here for more information on the Proposal for EU KIDS Act – ‘EU Keeping Internet Digital Spaces Accountable and Trustworthy’

In September 2026, the American Psychological Association released an report by Zara Abrams entitled ‘What AI is Doing to Young Brains?’

• As AI becomes increasingly embedded in daily life, children and teenagers are turning to these tools for entertainment, companionship, and help with schoolwork.
• Research on youth and AI is still in its earliest stages, but psychologists worry that misuse could interfere with healthy cognitive, social, and emotional development.
• AI literacy training can help young people learn how and when to safely use AI.

“Everything around youth and AI is essentially an open question right now,” said Anne Maheux, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who studies youth AI use. “There are certainly some positives, but experts tend to agree that the potential risks are more pertinent and urgent to understand.”

Psychologists like Maheux are working to understand not just whether children and teens are using AI, but if so how. They’re also launching research into pressing questions, including how AI tools can support learning rather than hinder it; what happens when children start to see chatbots as friends; and how to teach AI literacy skills so younger generations can learn when it’s safe or advisable to ask AI for help.

Click the link below for the full article and access to other reports, etc from the American Psychological Association

What AI is Doing to Young Brains?’

 

5. What are the benefits and dangers of AI?

Artificial Intelligence does have some benefits for humans such as repetitive tasks being automated and fewer ‘human’ errors.  The question is ‘Do the benefits outweigh the risks?’

 

Click here for a deeper dive into the benefits and risks of AI

 

6. What are the AI Computer Scientists and Developers, Business Leaders, International NGOs (e.g. U.N. WHO, etc.), World Leaders, Politicians, etc.

 

International NGOs

World leaders,

 

7. What does the media say?
8. What can we do to mitigate the dangers of AI?
9. What do the books, TV programmes and films depict AI?