Mattel Is Putting AI in Toys. I Built a Screen-Free AI Deck Instead. (Parents)

Kids are talking to Alexa and seeing AI everywhere before they can even read, but most parents, aunties, and teachers are still trying to figure out what AI actually is. In this solo episode, I share why I shifted from talking about AI with adults to focusing on kids and families, and how that led to AiDigiCards and the ABCs of AI Activity Deck.

Back the Kickstarter here!

I talk about how I ended up as one of the voices of an AI avatar, what happened when ChatGPT hit in 2022, and why watching my nieces and nephew grow up with smart speakers pushed me to create a screen-free way to learn about AI. I also share how growing up as an Army brat and seeing big gaps between schools shaped my belief that a child’s zip code should not decide whether they get to understand this technology.

You will hear what is inside the ABCs of AI Activity Deck for ages 4 to 8, including 130 human-crafted cards that introduce concepts like data, prompts, and machine learning through stories, activities, games, and audio, all designed for quick, hands-on play at the kitchen table instead of on a tablet.

If you want kids to meet AI in a way that feels safe, playful, and human, tune in and then check out the live Kickstarter to help bring this deck to life for more families and classrooms.

Back the Kickstarter here!

Chapters

• 0:58 Welcome And Mission
• 1:38 A Shift From Adults To Kids
• 3:05 Early LLM Encounters And Voice Avatar
• 4:25 Fear, Bans, And Why Kids Need Literacy
• 7:06 From Book To Workshops To Podcast
• 8:46 The Problem With AI Toys And Screens
• 10:31 Introducing AI Digicards And The ABCs Deck
• 11:53 How The 130 Cards Work
• 13:20 Offline First, Then Optional Digital
• 14:32 Kickstarter Launch And Backer Perks
• 16:00 Personal Story On Education Inequity
• 17:47 Access For Every Family And Classroom

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. Hey folks, welcome back to another episode of AI for kids. Today is a little bit different. I know you're wondering, Amber, what are you doing? Bring back the guests. I will. Come back in two weeks. But for today, I have a very special announcement. We are launching our Kickstarter for our ABCs of AI Activity Deck, which is part of our AI Digicars brand. What is AI Digicars, Amber, you may ask? It is a screen-free way for kids to be introduced to AI without screens first. Why is this important? Because I realized a few years ago when I first started thinking about transitioning to AI for kids and not AI for adults. So let me back up a little bit. I used to talk about AI and really I was focused on adults, maybe. Sorry, kids. Love you all the bunches, but at the time, I in my day job, I work in data, performance management, and also work in the AI space as well, particularly for government for all those different areas. And I thought in my day job, like all the things that were happening within my research or working with different folks and what they were doing on the ground, seeing this thing called AI, data, and all this stuff, technology in general, like how it was changing our world. So I was like, I don't think people know this is happening, right? So I began to podcast about it for adults because I wanted folks to understand what was going on. And as part of that, I realized when this thing called Chat GPT came out of nowhere in um in 2022 and basically shocked all of us that I probably needed to shift to kids. So why did I shift to kids? So beforehand, I've done research in this space. I've also led projects that have funded different AI tools like natural language processors, done research in the space of using data and things like machine learning as it relates to making decisions about people or thinking about how people are going to react or move. So I've been in that space for some time. And because of that, like I was telling you all, I had a podcast that literally talked about a lot of these things about AI and what was coming out. I also, before ChatGPT came out, met a group of folks, this organization called Create Labs, that actually had early access to a GPT before OpenAI released their GPT for all of us, they had access to a research edition of that. And they had built an avatar of sorts that I was able to talk to. I actually interviewed them on my other podcast for adults, and I interviewed the AI too. And they eventually asked me to be one of the official voices for the AI. So there's an AI out there, sounds like me, even looks a little bit like me, and says a lot of stuff that I've never said, speaks languages I've never spoken. But as you all can tell, I was very into this whole thing about AI and was like, this is it. Like, let's make sure everyone knows about it. Fast forward again, 2022 Chat GPT hits the world. And some weird things start happening, right? People were afraid first. I know when I first met the GPT that I was interacting with, I was really excited. I wasn't scared of the large language model, which you all know what that means, but I wasn't scared of it first. And that's why I also let my voice be trained on it. My voice is used in it, and those types of things, right? But I also saw that other people were scared. I saw schools banning it, I saw parents getting nervous, I saw work organizations banning it, I saw all these things happening. And that's when I realized I was like, but wait, my nieces at the time, and I had a nephew that was on the way, they're growing, gonna grow up with this thing. And adults are scared, we're banning it, we're doing all these things, but my nieces and my soon-to-be-born nephew, they're gonna grow up with this thing. Mind you, they are already growing up with tools like Alexa, okay, Google, fill-in-the-blank speaker that they are talking to, right? They already interact with the internet first through these tools. So I was like, I have to do something. My version of do something was to write a book. The book was called AI Meets AI. I self-published it, and it was about a little girl in Baltimore City who met a lost robot whose GPS was broken. And she helps the robot get back to Johns Hopkins University. Why did I set it here? I live in Baltimore City. One, Baltimore has some amazing universities here, some with amazing AI programs. I've also interviewed one of the top leaders in their AI program at Hopkins, and I see the disparities and what can happen in a city that has so many cool things, so many great medical technology innovations and things like that. But then there are other social issues that are happening. So I wanted to make sure kids could see themselves learning about this technology in a way that was a little bit different and to move them from users of things like smart speakers to actually one day possibly even be able to help inform these tools or create the rules around these tools. So that book came out. I self-published it, didn't know where it was gonna go. It did become an Amazon bestseller in this category. I sold over a thousand of those books, which is a lot for a self-published person. Shockingly, it only takes like 10,000 book sales to get on the New York Times bestseller in one week, which is crazy. I thought it was way more than that. But all that to say, it did well. And I was like, okay, what do I do next? Like, how can I help? So I started doing like AI for kids workshops, teaching kids what I what I know about data and the work that I do with governments or the work we now do with AI, talking to them about that. Then I was like, okay, book came out in 2023, it did well. Then I was like, okay, I need to get more out there because I need to reach more kids. And they may not ever see the book, but let's try a podcast. And that's where the AI for kids podcast was born. And this has been a great space for me to interview people, to talk about this thing called AI, and to interview folks who are on the ground, whether it's kids who are doing the work or even adults who are doing this work, and to let you all know what's happening out there in the world of AI. But I also realize this is not enough. I realize that you all are being introduced, in particular, kids, to different chatbots, different AI toys, even more so, Mattel and all these different people are putting AI in toys. Like there's big AI companies that are launching toys, and all this stuff is happening. And the reality is there's a profit motive behind it. And I get it, right? They're companies and they're trying to sell their tool to Jor. But I also understand that a lot of the early things that have been given to kids have been dangerous. Like there have been apps where kids have had trouble with or have become addicted to it. And I felt like there's a gap, right? I believe that kids need to be introduced to AI, but I think it has to be on their terms, their parents' terms, or their teachers' terms. And I do believe that AI literacy does not begin on a tablet. I think it begins at the kitchen table or in the classroom with parents and adults and kids together learning about this thing. And that's why AI Digicars is here, and that's why it's so important. AI Digicars is a one of a kind in my mind, tool that starts AI literacy offline first. So the kids will learn about different things about AI in a way that's gamified, that's not like just out there and like forcing it on them, but it's a way that teaches them or introduces them to the AI concepts and different learning styles. Our first deck, which we're trying to get funding for on the Kickstarter, is called the ABCs of AI Activity Deck. One reason that is the first deck is because the ABCs of AI series that I've done on the AI for kids podcast has been very well received, and parents and teachers have asked me where are the flashcards. And I was like, it has to be bigger than flashcards, right? You can get flashcards from anywhere. I wanted kids to have something where they really felt like they could understand the concept and in a way that didn't feel like they were learning, right? It's more so introducing them to fun, play, getting them off the computer, getting these things in their actual lives and having them integrated. So we launched the ABC's AI Activity Deck, and it allows kids, this is focused on ages four to eight first for our first deck. Don't worry, older kids. Other stuff is coming soon. Let me start here first because there's not a lot for kids ages four to eight. And it starts with 130 cars. 130 human-crafted cars, not Chat GPT AI cards. They were crafted by humans. A lot of editing, a lot of hours spent into getting this right so that you all would enjoy it and understand it. And for each letter, there's five different ways to be introduced to the concept. So one card for the letter is a definition, and then there's prompts that parents can use to further the conversation. Another card could be a story, another card activity, another card a game. And then finally, an audio card. Audio cards could be songs, could be um stories, it could be a bunch of different things that don't involve, again, a stream. You can scan the QR code and then listen to something, making sure we're introducing this concept in the ways that kids like to be introduced to things. So we're trying to make sure that whether you pull it out on a rainy day at school or after dinner, we're helping you be introduced to concepts like machine learning, prompts, and data without screens in sight and in a way that's fun and that can be done either five minutes or 15 minutes, depending on what you would like to do. And the reality is this is built for kids and it's built for the adults that work with them. Because I know some of you are all asking me and telling me, like, hey, this podcast helps me understand this stuff, right? And we want you all to do that together because AI literacy, AI learning should begin at the Kitchen table and not on a tablet. It just should begin on a tablet. We are very early on in this tech, these technologies in the hands of kids. We do know there's a lot of issues around screen time addiction, anxiety, the loneliness generation. Like kids, y'all are dealing with a lot. And I'm not trying to add to that. But I do want to make sure kids are prepared. I do want to make sure parents feel good about what they're putting in their kids' hands. And I do want to make sure that you have the tools you need if you decide to use these tools later or go into these fields later. And I believe all of our jobs are gonna have a piece of this that you have at least the ver, very, very, very early concepts and baseline knowledge to do what you need to do. And so the Kickstarter just launched today, and I'm so excited, and it's your chance to really help bring this project to life. We've already created the prototype. We literally just need to raise money to get these things printed, and we're so excited to do that. If you back that campaign, even at the lowest tier, which is a dollar, your name will be part of our story, literally. So every deck will include a QR code that lists the names of all of our backers. Um, some decks, depending on the level, your name will actually be on that card. So every time a teacher or parent flips through the deck, they'll see the community to help bring these cards to life and that's helping kids learn about AI safely and screen-free. And you can find the link in the show notes or head to kickstarter.com and search AI Digicards. That's A I D I G I C A R D S. And I want to pause for a second um just to share a personal bit. Some of you may have heard this if you've ever seen me speak in person or at a workshop. So I grew up as something called an army brat. That means a kid whose parent, one of their parents was in the army. And we moved around a lot from state to state. I've lived as far west as Arizona and as far east as Germany and everywhere in between, right? And that meant moving from base to base. And every time we moved, I saw how different schools were. Some had brand new books or computers, and some had books that weren't even from the same decade. And that always stuck with me. I realized early on that a kid's zip code can truly shape what kind of future they have, and that shouldn't be. I think all kids should be able to have tools that are accessible and that allow them to learn about whatever it is that they want to learn. And that's one of the reasons why AI Digicars exists. Because I knew and I want every kid, no matter where they live, to have the chance to understand the world they're growing up in and to shape the conversation. And I know that you may be wondering like, how are you gonna teach a kid about AI through a deck? We all learned about different things through song, through activity. Some of the things we remember it the most was not reading about it in a book, but was the joy around it, the activity around it, the experience. AI Digicars and the ABCs of AI Activity Deck is an experience for kids. But we also understand that at some point, kids may elevate to the next level, and we will have digital expansion packs ready where we'll partner with trusted folks and partners to ensure that when a kid goes digital, they're going to the tools that are safe, vetted, and allow them to continue to learn and explore. But that will always be optional. You can fully learn about these concepts just through the deck without going online. And that is very important to me. Because we're meeting families where they are, whether or in and classrooms, whether you're a family that is trying to say less screens or family that doesn't have access to screens in that way. We want to start with play at the kitchen table and later giving you the tools that help a kid to learn safely online when you and they are ready. So if you've been listening to this podcast for a while or you just found me today, I would love for you to tell your friends about not only Ask for Kids, but also about Kickstarter. One of the most important things about Kickstarter campaigns is that they have to get funded pretty quickly for Kickstarter to share it out to the broader network. So I'm asking you to please um help spread the word, share it with a teacher, a librarian, a friend who's a parent. Parents, donate, back it, thank you. Um or that auntie or uncle who always gives the best gifts. This is a perfect gift for a kid in your life. If you want to donate to a school, we also have that option. If you want to get a poster instead of the deck, if you don't feel like your kids are there yet, that's an option. We have different options for different levels, and we're really excited to share this with you all. So the last thing I'll say before I get out your way is one, we're bringing back our interviews in a couple of weeks. I'm really excited about some of the folks we have lined up for the new season. But as it relates to the cards, it isn't just a deck of cards. It's a way to build confidence, to spark curiosity, and raise a generation of kids who understand technology, but also know they're more than technology. There's more to life than technology. And those are things that parents are concerned about and teachers are concerned about when it comes to AI. So we make sure these cards really help kids think critically, activate their curiosity, their creativity, and make sure they feel confident that they understand what these things are doing and how they're working, and most importantly, also make sure you feel confident. So thank you all for believing in this idea, for being along with us on the journey, where you met me at the AI Meets AI book stage, or you met me at the AI for kids stage, or you brought me into a classroom for AI for kids workshop. Thank you so much for helping make sure the AI learning is fun, safe, and totally human. Let's raise a generation of curious kids who stay creative and stay most importantly human. You can learn more about the project or back the project right now. It is live. Just search AIdigicars at Kickstarter.com, scroll down, you'll be able to see the different packages and things you can back, or go down to my show notes and I have a direct link there. Thank you all for tuning in, and I will see you next episode where we have some great folks we're interviewing, and I can't wait to catch you on the other side. Share this out, share out the Kickstarter link, and I just want to say I appreciate every single one of you. Stay curious. 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 podcast or on YouTube. See you next time on AI for kids.