Alexa doesn’t have that many feelings: Children’s understanding of AI through interactions with smart speakers in their homes

As voice-based Conversational Assistants (CAs), including Alexa, Siri, Google Home, have become commonly embedded in households, many children now routinely interact with Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems. It is important to research children's experiences with consumer devices which use AI techniques because these shape their understanding of AI and its capabilities. We conducted a mixed-methods study (questionnaires and interviews) with primary-school children aged 6–11 in Scotland to establish children's understanding of how voice-based CAs work, how they perceive their cognitive abilities, agency and other human-like qualities, their awareness and trust of privacy aspects when using CAs and what they perceive as appropriate verbal interactions with CAs. Most children overestimated the CAs' intelligence and were uncertain about the systems' feelings or agency. They also lacked accurate understanding of data privacy and security aspects, and believed it was wrong to be rude to conversational assistants. Exploring children's current understanding of AI-supported technology has educational implications; such findings will enable educators to develop appropriate materials to address the pressing need for AI literacy.