Young people in the UK need to be creators, and not just consumers, of AI

Teaching of AI should run alongside maths and English to prevent a digital divide and the risk of being left behind

A pupil at Pitteuchar East Primary School, in Fife, Scotland, using CreateAI to create classroom pets and characters.

‍The UK is in danger of being left behind and raising a generation of AI and tech consumers, rather than creators, unless young people are offered better teaching and learning in AI.

‍The Micro:bit Education Foundation said AI needed to be prioritised and taught alongside maths and English to prevent a new digital divide.

‍The not-for-profit said young people needed more opportunities to understand, question and create using AI from an early age.

‍It warned that the next digital divide will not just be defined by access to technology but by understanding how it works and how it can be used – separating those who understand how AI works from those who simply consume it.

‍The warning came as research from Oxford University found just 15% of students feel they have received enough guidance on artificial intelligence, leaving 85% struggling to understand how to use AI, the ethical questions it raises, its limitations and how it can be used responsibly to solve real-world problems.

Exploring AI through movement and machine learning

‍In response to this emerging risk, the Foundation has launched CreateAI, a web-based tool that allows pupils to explore artificial intelligence through movement and machine learning. 

‍CreateAI, which is available for free, allows pupils to train machine-learning models through physical actions like waving or clapping before running them on a BBC micro:bit.

‍By building these hands-on projects, young people can see exactly how AI learns, responds and makes decisions, showing what is possible when they move from simply using technology, to understanding how it works.

‍The Foundation's approach is already being used in classrooms to help children develop these skills. Miss Peden, a class teacher at Pitteuchar East Primary School in Fife, Scotland, has been using the micro:bit device with her classes since it was first introduced back in 2016. 

‍Last year, her P6/P7 composite class used the micro:bit to create classroom pets, with each pupil coding and creating characters before looking after them throughout the term.

‍She then used this real-life example of caretaking to evolve discussions from what the pets wanted and needed to what the pupils actually did to look after them.

‍Miss Peden said: “We’re now in an age of scrolling, whether it’s social media or YouTube, and it's imperative that young people are given the opportunity to understand technology and begin to create games, devices and apps, rather than just switching on a computer or tablet and passively scrolling. 

‍“When it comes to AI, we’re already seeing its impact in our older primary pupils, who are beginning to explore the likes of ChatGPT and Co-Pilot.‍

“What has become clear is that they don’t understand the safety implications of using AI and where the data and images they’re sharing go, once they’re uploaded.

‍“We need to not only make pupils and their parents and carers aware of the risks of AI, but also the opportunities available to them through advancing technology.”

AI increasingly shaping children’s lives

‍Tom Doust, Chief of Learning at the Micro:bit Educational Foundation, added: “Just as we teach children to read and think mathematically, we also need to support them to understand how technologies, like AI, are increasingly shaping their lives.

‍“This involves building knowledge and confidence to ask good questions and recognise the limitations of AI systems. The Foundation is giving students the opportunity to safely experiment with AI and machine learning, using our CreateAI platform.

“This hands-on and interactive approach helps to demystify AI, helping children understand, question and improve AI systems, making them better placed to shape the technologies, products and services that influence society, while those who do not, risk becoming passive users of systems they neither understand nor control.”

‍For more information on the Micro:bit Foundation, visit www.microbit.org.