Side Session on AI and Children: Using AI for realizing the rights of children

Date: 23 June 2025

Time: Afternoon (Exact time TBC)

Location: Cantara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre, Bangkok, Thailand

Format: In-person and online, and online, with English-Thai simultaneous interpretation

Expected Participants: Approximately 50 in -person, 150 online

While there are many uncertainties around Artificial Intelligence, we know that it will impact almost every part of our lives, and that in many cases these impacts will be greatest for children- from how they are conceived and born, to the services they can access and how they learn, to the jobs they will train for. This reality brings with it a tremendous amount of opportunity to realise children’s rights and bridge inequities. It also brings risk. Without specific attention to under-18s, the evolution of this technology could proceed without considering children’s specific needs and rights. The healthy development of children is crucial to the future well-being of any society, and the cost to society of failing our children is enormous.

As part of the Global Forum on the Ethics of AI 2025 (24–27 June 2025), this side session, co organized by UNICEF and the Thailand Safe Internet Coalition (TSIC), will explore the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and children and children’s rights, and how we can collectively harness the potential, while ensuring protection and participation. 

Key Topics: 

Bringing together global, regional and national experts from Government, the private sector, ASEAN, UN, NGOs, academia, and youth groups the side session will explore: 

• How children, from 0 to 18 years are interacting with AI systems and AI-powered services and the evolution of this relationship

• How AI can support the realisation of children’s rights, including access to education, healthcare, and protection services

• How children can be meaningfully engaged in the development of AI systems and services by Government and the private sector

• The nature of risks for children in AI systems and AI-powered services and how they can be mitigated, including exploitation and abuse, bias, profiling, surveillance, and digital manipulation 

• How the specific rights and needs of children can and should be integrated in the development of AI and ethics and governance frameworks, utlising UN Convention on the Rights of the Child General Comment No. 25 on children’s rights in the digital environment to ensure safety guardrails and a child-centred, equitable and inclusive AI for the future.

Join us to ensure that AI works for children. Together, we can build ethical AI systems that support a safe, inclusive, and empowering digital future for every child.

Register to attend: https://forms.office.com/e/4rpSAJrHAQ 

More about the Forum: www.globalforumethicsai.com