W is for Weight - ABCs of AI (Elementary School+)

Season 3 is here! In this episode of AI for Kids, Amber kicks things off with the letter W in our ABCs of AI series.

W is for Weights — but not the kind you lift at the gym. In AI, weights are like little dials that tell a computer which clues matter most when it’s learning. Pointy ears? Higher weight for “cat.” Fluffy tail? Could be “dog.” These weights help AI make decisions in games, apps, and even the tools adults use at work.

But here’s the twist: if the weights are wrong or unfair, AI can make bad choices—like favoring one student over another just because of their zip code. That’s called bias. Understanding weights helps kids see why it’s so important to ask: Who taught the AI what matters?

Game of the Week: “Weight it Right”
No screens required! Grab three cups, some household items, and a spoon. Shake, guess, and assign weights (1 for light, 2 for medium, 3 for heavy). Switch with a friend or sibling to see how “AI” can get things right—or wrong—based on what it pays attention to.

Takeaways for Kids and Parents

• Weights = how AI decides what’s important.
• Fair weights = fairer results.
• Curiosity + questions = safer, smarter AI use.
• You don’t need to be a computer scientist to start thinking like one!

Want to share your story?
If your child has tried an AI tool—chatting with a robot, coding something new, or asking Alexa a fun question—they could be featured on the podcast! Ask a grown-up to email Amber: contact@aidigitales.com

Chapters

• 0:58 Welcome to Season Three
• 2:26 W is for Weights
• 3:50 Try the Weight it Right Game
• 5:23 Final Thoughts and Next Episode

Transcript

Amber Ivey: 0:29

Welcome to the AI for Kids podcast, the podcast for moms, aunties and teachers who want the kids they love to understand AI without more screen time. We keep it simple, safe and fun, no tech degree required. Each episode breaks down AI ideas and includes activities to help kids use AI in ways that keep them curious and creative. No pressure, no overwhelm, no extra screens, just clear, engaging learning you can feel good about. Let's get started. Welcome back everybody. I hope you enjoyed your summer. This is Amber Ivey with AI for Kids and we are back for season three of the AI for Kids podcast. Our goal here is simple we try to make artificial intelligence, aka AI, safe and fun to learn about, and I'm your host, amber Ivey, and this is our first episode of season three. Did you have a good summer break? I hope you got to play, meet some new friends, learn something new and maybe even try some AI tools with a grown-up this season. I really want to hear from you If you've tried out AI, like chatting with a robot building. This season. I really want to hear from you If you've tried out AI, like chatting with a robot building a robot building something with code, or even asking Alexa a cool question I would love to have you on the podcast. Ask a grownup to send me an email at contact at aidigitalscom. I'll also make sure it's in the show notes. Tell me your name, what you did and what you'd love to talk about.

Amber Ivey: 1:54

Now let's jump into our first episode of the season. Of course, the ABCs of AI is back and we're here with the letter W. W stands for weights and no, we're not talking about dumbbells or gym workouts. So weights are little numbers that help an AI model make smart decisions. Think of them like dials or volume knobs inside the computer's brain. The AI turns those dials up or down depending on what it learns. So let's say the AI is learning to tell if something is a cat or dog right, it may look at the ears, the nose, the shape and how fluffy it is. Each of those things gets a weight and those weights help the AI decide what it's looking at. The more important something is to the answer, the heavier its weight. So if pointy ears usually means cat, the AI gives the feature a higher weight. Does that make sense? So why do weights matter? Weights help AI learn faster and get better at tasks like voice recognition, face ID and even suggesting songs or shows you might like, but if the weights are wrong or unfair, guess what? The AI can make bad decisions. So let's say, an AI is supposed to help with picking students for a school program. If the training data gives more weight to things that don't really matter, like zip codes or names, the AI might make unfair choices. That's called bias, and it's something adults are working hard to fix. So it's okay to be curious about AI, but it's also smart to ask questions like how did it learn that? Or who told the AI what's important? That's what good digital citizens like yourselves do.

Amber Ivey: 3:32

Now here's the deal. You probably won't be changing AI weights yourself, or at least not yet, but you will see AI all around you in games, apps and toys. Here's how to stay safe Don't share private info with apps that guess things about you. If something gives weird or unfair results, tell a grown-up. And, as always, ai is learning, but it's not perfect. So I want you to try this game at home. It's called Weight it Right.

Amber Ivey: 4:00

This fun activity helps you learn how weights work no computer or screens needed. So what do you need? Three paper cups, and then I want you to find three different household items, like a marble coin, cotton ball, beans whatever you have, just make sure it's small and not too messy. I don't want to get in trouble with your parents and then you're going to have a spoon or a small scoop. Put one object in each cup. Shake each cup and listen. Does it sound heavy or light? Try guessing what's inside based on a sound. Try guessing what's inside based on a sound. Now give each sound a weight One for light, two for medium, three for heavy. Switch with a friend or sibling. Can they figure it out? This shows how AI listens or looks at things and guesses based on how important each clue is, just like you did.

Amber Ivey: 4:49

Here's a few final thoughts on why weights matter. Understanding weights helps. You see that AI is always making choices based on what it was taught to focus on. Some weights are fair, some are not. As future builders, testers or even just users of AI, we need to ask did it learn from the right things? You don't need to be a computer scientist to start thinking this way. You just need to be curious, cautious and kind. So, kids, thanks for joining us, for W is for we.

Amber Ivey: 5:21

Next time, on the ABCs of AI, we'll explore the mysterious letter X. Any guesses what it'll be. You'll have to tune in to find out. If you like this episode, tell a friend, try the activity or send us a message. And don't forget if you've been learning about AI or want to share your thoughts, ask a grown up to help you. Email me at contact at AI digitalscom. You could be on the show. Have a great start to your school year and we'll see you next time for the next letter in our ABCs of AI. Bye, bye for now and keep being awesome, and don't forget. I need you to stay curious. I don't need more robots in the world. I need curious, kind kids like you. Bye-bye, thank you for joining us as we explore the fascinating world of artificial intelligence. Don't keep this adventure to yourself. Download it, share it with your friends and let everyone else in on the fun. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube. See you next time on AI for Kids.