Back in the Wild West days of the 1990s internet, there wasn’t much out there in the way of parental controls to keep the nascent World Wide Web (that’s what parents called it back then) from damaging our tiny, developing brains.
It’s only gotten weirder since then. And with generative AI (such as ChatGPT) now on the scene, everything’s been soaked in kerosene and turbocharged. Google, noting the impact that unbridled access to such a tool could have on children but unwilling to forsake them entirely, has created a version of its Gemini generative AI for kids under 13 years old.
Users, AKA children, will be able to access Gemini through a web browser at gemini.google.com/app, and also through the Android and iOS Gemini apps. Adults managing the accounts that oversee the kids’ accounts can turn access to Gemini on and off through Google Family Link, and also control the settings.
If you decide to turn access off, Google will totally rat you out; your kid will see the message, “Gemini isn’t available for your account.” Given my limited experience with kids, I’d have made up a lie or at least used a redirection, such as “Gemini? What’s Gemini? Hey, look at this three-minute video of a llama skidding around on ice.
rolling out slowly
Some accounts are already able to set up Gemini for their kids’ accounts, but not all are. “We’re gradually releasing access to Gemini Apps for supervised accounts, so access might not be available to your child just yet,” reads a newly added page on Google’s support hub. “Some Gemini features may not be available for children and may vary by region.”
Because children are presumably no better at discerning AI from human beings as adults are, Google advises parents to talk with their kids about the nature of AI before unleashing it upon them.
In a section titled Before Your Child Uses Gemini Apps, Google writes, “Gemini is new and evolving, and can make mistakes. To help guide your conversations about using Gemini, learn more about generative AI and how it works.
Help your child think critically about Gemini’s responses:
- Help your child understand that Gemini isn’t human. Even though it sometimes talks like a person, it can’t think for itself or feel emotions.
- Show your child how to double-check responses.
- Let your child know not to enter sensitive or personal info in Gemini.
Our filters try to limit access to inappropriate content, but they’re not perfect. Your child may encounter content that you don’t want them to see.”
That’s basically the internet at large, but you—presumably reading this on the internet—already knew that. Generative AI has some weird, wild stuff (such as complete lies), so proceed with your kids at your own risk.
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