AI for Kids

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This week, we’re sharing a fan-favorite replay, an episode that ranks in the top ten of our all-time most listened-to episodes. In this week's replay episode we unlock the secrets of building adaptive, personalized robots with Dr. Randi Williams, a leading figure in AI and robotics, as she shares her journey from a math-obsessed child inspired by Jimmy Neutron to a pioneering expert aiming to make technology fairer and more inclusive.

Dr. Williams takes us behind the scenes of her work at the Algorithmic Justice League (AJL), discussing the triumphs and challenges of creating robots that can truly engage with humans.

Through the lens of projects like PopBots, you’ll discover how even preschoolers can grasp foundational AI concepts and start innovating from an early age. Hear the inspiring story of a young learner who programmed a multilingual robot, and explore the engaging tools and platforms like MIT’s Playground that make learning AI fun and accessible.

Finally, we tackle the crucial issue of algorithmic bias and the importance of diverse data sets in AI training. This episode underscores how creativity and a passion for learning can drive meaningful advancements in AI and robotics.
 
Resources for parents and kids:
Preschool-Oriented Programming (POP) Platform PopBots
Playground Raise MIT
Day of AI
Turing Test Game
Unmasking AI
Coded Bias
Personal Robots Group
Scratch
National Coding Week
Support the show
Hey parents and teachers, if you want to stay on top of the AI news shaping your kids’ world, subscribe to our weekly AI for Kids Substack: https://aiforkidsweekly.substack.com/
Help us become the #1 podcast for AI for Kids and best AI podcast for kids, parents, teachers, and families.
Buy our debut book “AI… Meets… AI”

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A single question from a four-year-old, “What is data?”, sparked a four-year journey that turned everyday moments into a blueprint for teaching kids the foundations of AI. We sit down with Chandra Donelson, chief data and AI officer, Air Force reservist, and author of The Data Detective series, to show how data literacy starts at home with simple habits that build real confidence.

Chandra shares the carnival breakthrough that helped her son grasp quantitative and qualitative data by counting people in ride lines and noticing details in the world around him. We unpack how she tested each draft by asking her son to explain concepts back, if a five-year-old couldn’t re-teach it, it didn’t make the cut. She walks us through translating artful curiosity into STEAM, the value of slow, intentional creation even as AI tools speed up publishing, and why her newest book, The Data Detective at the Airport, weaves real family scenes and snapshots into the story.

We also dig into practical, parent-friendly routines that turn life into a data lab: checking the weekly forecast to plan outfits, budgeting toward a VR headset, and cooking with measurements to build intuition for patterns and predictions. Chandra ties these skills to math fundamentals and explains why data is the true foundation beneath AI, no clean data, no trustworthy intelligence. Her career arc from military intelligence to data leadership highlights the power of raising your hand, finding mentors, and building community through Women in Data, where representation and support open doors for the next generation.

Resources:
The Data Detective at the Carnival
The Data Detective at the Airport
Support the show
Hey parents and teachers, if you want to stay on top of the AI news shaping your kids’ world, subscribe to our weekly AI for Kids Substack: https://aiforkidsweekly.substack.com/
Help us become the #1 podcast for AI for Kids and best AI podcast for kids, parents, teachers, and families.
Buy our debut book “AI… Meets… AI”

Social Media & Contact:
Website: www.aidigitales.com
Email: [email protected]
Follow Us: Instagram, YouTube
Books on Amazon or Free AI Worksheets
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A video looks real, the voice sounds familiar, but something feels off. That gut check matters, and we turn it into a simple habit kids can use every day: pause, check, ask. We break down deepfakes in plain language, show how AI learns to mimic faces and voices, and teach a family-friendly game that trains kids to spot tricks without fear or extra screen time.

We start by explaining what deepfakes are and how pattern-learning lets AI copy smiles, speech, and movement. From there, we introduce Real, Trick, or Check—a quick activity any grown-up can run in the car, at home, or in class. Kids learn to look for practical red flags: videos that only exist on social feeds, clips that rush or scare, lips that don’t match words, flat robotic audio, super short edits, and sketchy new accounts. The goal isn’t to catch every fake with one clue; it’s to slow down and verify with a trusted adult before reacting or sharing.

Safety is stronger when families protect what AI can learn. We offer clear steps: post sparingly, lock down privacy settings, avoid untrusted sites, and be careful when texting photos or voice notes. We also cover what to do if a fake targets your child: you did nothing wrong, tell a trusted adult, save evidence, and report it. To stop impostors who use cloned voices, we share our favorite tool, a private code word that only you, your kids, and your classroom know. If a message can’t provide it, stop and verify through a known channel.

By the end, your family has a shared language for staying calm and curious around AI: protect your pictures and your voice, practice the game, and keep the code word handy. If something feels wrong, talk to a trusted adult right away. Enjoy the episode, then subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review to help more families build smart tech habits.
Support the show
Hey parents and teachers, if you want to stay on top of the AI news shaping your kids’ world, subscribe to our weekly AI for Kids Substack: https://aiforkidsweekly.substack.com/
Help us become the #1 podcast for AI for Kids and best AI podcast for kids, parents, teachers, and families.
Buy our debut book “AI… Meets… AI”

Social Media & Contact:
Website: www.aidigitales.com
Email: [email protected]
Follow Us: Instagram, YouTube
Books on Amazon or Free AI Worksheets
Listen, rate, and subscribe!
Apple Podcasts
Amazon Music
Spotify
YouTube
Other
Like o...

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What do kids really touch when they “use AI”? We sat down with educator Tom Mullaney and early virtual economy pioneer Tim Allen to strip away the buzzwords and bring AI back to what children actually experience: predictive systems that generate words, pictures, and sounds without authorship or intent. From Second Life marketplaces to today’s chatbots, we trace how hype blurs reality, how “easy button” tools undercut learning, and why kids deserve a clear, practical map for using AI without losing creativity or judgment.

We dig into a simple, striking demo: nine leading models drawing a wall clock once per minute, often getting it wrong in different ways. That moving snapshot opens a bigger lesson—if a model can’t keep a clock straight, don’t trust it where accuracy matters. Tom explains why generative AI reads as polished but painfully boring in student writing, while Tim offers pathways for young coders to use models for boilerplate and then switch to human craft for novelty and taste. Together we explore the mental health risks of parasocial chatbot bonds, the screen-addictive design of platforms, and the Harvard study that ties lifelong happiness to real relationships, not fleeting likes.

Parents and teachers will find practical guardrails: ask who built the tool and who benefits, demand transparency and family controls, and push for real accountability when systems output harmful content. Kids get a north star: humans create, computers generate. Keep AI as a tool, not a crutch. Choose projects that make you think, verify results, and be proud to fail boldly as you learn. We also touch on the environmental cost of running large models and why a family-first approach to AI can help everyone stay curious, safe, and grounded.

If this conversation helps you teach skepticism without fear and keep kids building in the real world, share it with a friend, subscribe for more like this, and leave a review with the one guardrail you’d add first.
Support the show
Hey parents and teachers, if you want to stay on top of the AI news shaping your kids’ world, subscribe to our weekly AI for Kids Substack: https://aiforkidsweekly.substack.com/
Help us become the #1 podcast for AI for Kids and best AI podcast for kids, parents, teachers, and families.
Buy our debut book “AI… Meets… AI”

Social Media & Contact:
Website: www.aidigitales.com
Email: [email protected]
Follow Us: Instagram, YouTube
Books on Amazon or Free AI Worksheets
Listen, rate, and subscribe!
Apple Podcasts
Amazon Music
Spotify
YouTube
Other
Like o...

Send us a text
Kids are meeting chatbots everywhere, from homework helpers to pop‑ups on websites, and many of them think the robot “feels” things. We cut through the hype with a friendly, practical guide that shows how chatbots really work, why they sometimes sound brilliant and sometimes go off the rails, and what families can do to stay curious and safe at the same time.

We start by breaking down the core idea: a chatbot predicts the next word using patterns, not feelings or understanding. That simple lens explains why a bot can write a funny pizza joke yet invent a name when asked about your classroom. From there, we shift into digital safety that kids can remember: treat a chatbot like a stranger, never share personal information, and pause the moment a reply feels weird or unkind. Along the way we model the “grown‑up in the loop” rule and show how to fact‑check results so confidence never replaces care.

To make it hands‑on, we share a quick kitchen‑table activity that sorts “Safe Questions” and “Not Safe Questions.” On one side, creative prompts like stories, riddles, and science facts. On the other, anything that reveals names, addresses, school details, or phone numbers. We wrap with five simple takeaways that turn into everyday habits: chatbots are not people, they make mistakes, you never share private data, you stop and tell a grown‑up when something feels off, and you can still have fun within clear boundaries.

If this helped your family or classroom, subscribe for more parent‑friendly AI tips, share the episode with someone who needs it, and leave a quick review so more caregivers can find these tools. Your support helps more kids stay safe, curious, and creative with AI.
Support the show
Hey parents and teachers, if you want to stay on top of the AI news shaping your kids’ world, subscribe to our weekly AI for Kids Substack: https://aiforkidsweekly.substack.com/
Help us become the #1 podcast for AI for Kids and best AI podcast for kids, parents, teachers, and families.
Buy our debut book “AI… Meets… AI”

Social Media & Contact:
Website: www.aidigitales.com
Email: [email protected]
Follow Us: Instagram, YouTube
Books on Amazon or Free AI Worksheets
Listen, rate, and subscribe!
Apple Podcasts
Amazon Music
Spotify
YouTube
Other
Like o...