Peer-reviewed article
Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy in early childhood education: an intervention study in Hong Kong
Jiahong Su, Weipeng Yang ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study evaluated an eight-week AI literacy program for 26 kindergarten children (average age 4 years) in Hong Kong. The children were able to learn basic AI concepts and demonstrated AI-related creativity through designing robots and imagining future AI applications. Older and younger children showed different preferences for activities, with older children engaging more with AI training while younger children preferred creative activities like drawing and storytelling.
Key points
- Young children aged 4 years demonstrated capability to learn basic AI concepts and knowledge
- Younger children designed chatting robots through imagination; older children created robots to assist with drawing tasks
- Older children who enjoyed activities engaged in AI training, while younger children preferred drawing future AI cities and participating in AI stories
- The program was delivered over eight weeks at a kindergarten in Hong Kong
- The study highlights positive benefits of AI literacy education for early childhood
Limitations
The study has a small sample size (26 children) and no control or comparison group, making it difficult to attribute outcomes to the intervention versus other factors. The document does not provide statistical analysis or standardized measures of AI literacy or creativity.
Abstract
The issue of Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy is gaining popularity in the field of education. Most research on AI literacy has focused on primary, secondary, and higher education, and there has been limited examination of AI literacy programs in early childhood education. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an eight-week AI literacy program on young children’s AI literacy, AI-related creativity, and their perceptions of the AI4KG program. A total of 26 young children (average age of 4 years) enrolled in the program at a kindergarten in Hong Kong were the subjects of the study. The results indicated that (1) young children were capable of learning basic AI concepts and knowledge; (2) in terms of AI-related creativity, younger children were able to design a chatting robot via imagination, while older children created an AI robot to assist people in their drawings; (3) in regards to the children's perceptions of the AI4KG program, older children who enjoyed the activity were able to train AI, while younger children preferred to draw the future AI city and participate in the AI story activity. This study highlights the positive benefits of AI literacy education in preparing young children for an AI-driven future.