UNICEF Guidance on AI and children

I was so honored to have contributed (even in a very small way) in the development process of UNICEF’s updated Guidance on AI and Children 3.0. Any opportunity to contribute to UNICEF’s work is a real privilege, as they are the global reference for protecting children and ensuring that, wherever they grow up and whatever technologies they encounter, their rights stay at the center.

This new guidance responds to the speed at which AI is reshaping children’s lives. It sets out what governments and industry must put in place to design and deploy AI responsibly, addresses the sharp rise in children’s use of AI tools, highlights major global divides in access, trust and protection, and confronts emerging risks from generative AI, AI companions, data exploitation and AI-driven manipulation. It also outlines ten requirements for child-centred AI covering regulation, safety, privacy, non-discrimination, transparency, accountability, well-being, inclusion and skills.

Thank you to the UNICEF team and the many experts that have worked on this release. For anyone working on AI policy, building AI systems or shaping child-facing environments, this guidance is essential reading.