A Humanly Guide to AI

Most processes start with communication and research, we talk with our clients understand their ideas, and then pitch them ours, there was a lot of back and forth on the visual direction of the book, at times our clients were concerned that our ideas were too “bold” too “intense” for children but after presenting more research and field testing with children they were convinced of the positive impact of our approach.

What We Used

A mixture of mixed media techniques from layering photographs, hand drawn illustration, digital compositing and creating layouts, we went through many different iterations of design and creation to get to where we are today.

What It Was

This project was developed in collaboration with Think Humanly, a UK-based initiative that works with organisations to deliver activity-based learning experiences focused on building critical thinking and empathy.

A Humanly Guide to AI is a new project developed by OtherStuffStudios and Think Humanly that explores the ethical and safe use of artificial intelligence for children. Designed to introduce technical concepts and philosophical ideas through simple language and play, the book makes ideas such as “algorithms”, “data training” and “meanings of knowledge”  accessible and easy to understand through fun and engaging activities. 

The visual approach was an interesting challenge, the book is for a lot of children an outdated medium. We needed to create something that was visually engaging with kids as well as not infantilizing the topic to the point of creating “floof”. We really do believe that kids are capable of handling more serious notes and topics without the need for extreme sugar-coating that seems to happen in most children's content these days.

For our visual content we took inspiration from the colours and stylistic choices of some older colic books and animation content, that conveys visually impactful stories with a kind of “grit” that stays with children. Something that makes the kids think we take them seriously as intelligent people engaging in a challenging topic. At the same time the activities were created to help them engage in a human-like way, engaging with their peers and their families, understanding their relationships with themselves, and their surroundings.

While the book addresses the potential harms of AI, it does not aim to discourage its use entirely, we think it is a hopeless cause to put a blank “no” on something, all that creates is feelings of wanting to do something even more. Rather children are introduced to ideas that help them better understand AI and the world around them with concepts such as data privacy and spyware, the use and drawbacks of modern AI so that they can use it more responsibly.