#141: “They Have to be More Specific, or AI isn't Gonna Get What You Are Saying”: Exploring AI with Children in an Online AI Literacy Workshop.

Children’s growing interactions with AI often occur without an understanding of its underlying mechanisms and potential biases in decision-making. Adopting a socio-constructivist approach, we explore the AI competencies that children (ages 7–12) developed as they engaged in a five-day virtual workshop. Activities included training AI models with Teachable Machine, producing media with generative AI tools such as Canva, and participating in guided discussions about the societal implications of AI. Findings show that children developed competencies in identifying AI technologies, understanding how AI operates through data, and evaluating AI outputs. These findings suggest that providing opportunities for early hands-on engagement and guided discussion can empower children to reason thoughtfully about how AI works, engage with it in both critical and creative ways, and reflect on its broader societal implications. Introduction