CAMBRIDGE, MA —The Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University (BKC) is launching a new research initiative to understand how artificial intelligence is impacting and shaping young people's lives and to strengthen accountability across the AI ecosystem. The work will be conducted in collaboration with Common Sense Media’s Youth AI Safety Institute.
As AI becomes increasingly integrated into education, social interaction, and the delivery of information, today’s young people are the first generation to grow up with these technologies as a constant presence in their daily lives. Yet many fundamental questions about how AI systems influence learning, development, decision-making, and well-being remain unanswered.
This effort builds on BKC's longstanding commitment to understanding how digital technologies shape young people's lives, including the global research and advocacy Youth and Media project and a recent report on Frontiers in Digital Child Safety.
The AI and Youth Safety Research Initiative will support research teams led by Harvard faculty in collaboration with scientists, fellows, program leaders, and students. A key area of focus will be strengthening the emerging ecosystem of AI evaluation and benchmarking for kid and teen safety and wellbeing to help young people thrive in a world with increasingly powerful AI.
“The institutions, methods, and benchmarks needed to evaluate AI are still catching up to the technology itself," said Faculty Director Professor Jonathan Zittrain. "Rigorous evaluation is essential to understanding their effects on young people and informing decisions by parents, educators, policymakers, and developers."
Beyond supporting research, the initiative will convene experts from academia, industry, civil society, and government to evaluate emerging findings, identify new areas of inquiry, and translate evidence into practical action and public awareness.
The initiative is supported through the new Common Sense Media Catalyst Fund for AI & Youth Safety at the Berkman Klein Center. Common Sense Media’s Youth AI Safety Institute conducts independent evaluations of AI products and is building standards and evaluation methods to make AI safer for kids and teens. The Berkman Klein Center’s independent expertise in interdisciplinary research, technology governance, and young people’s relationship to digital media will directly inform and strengthen the Institute’s work.
"Addressing the challenges and opportunities AI presents for young people requires expertise that spans disciplines, sectors, and perspectives," said Executive Director Alex Pascal. "The Catalyst initiative will bring together researchers, students, practitioners, and partners to generate evidence, insight, and practical tools to inform industry practices, public policy, family decision-making, and discourse in communities across the US. We're excited to launch this work."