Chapter 3: Living with Smart Machines
Living with Smart Machines 🌍🤝
Section titled “Living with Smart Machines 🌍🤝”Fairness and Sharing
Section titled “Fairness and Sharing”Robots and smart machines are tools. People build them, teach them, and decide how they should work. Because of that, people must make sure robots are fair and kind.
Fairness Fairness: Treating everyone equally and kindly. means treating everyone equally and kindly. Imagine your class has 10 pieces of candy, but there are 15 students. How can you share them fairly? You might give everyone one piece and then break the rest into smaller parts. You might try another way. It can be hard to decide what feels fair.
Sometimes robots can make unfair choices. This can happen if they were not taught with enough different examples or if people did not check their work carefully. That is why humans must pay attention and make sure smart machines treat everyone fairly.
Robots do not decide what is fair on their own. People are responsible responsible: Being in charge of making sure technology is used safely and correctly. for teaching them and checking them.
AI Helps Us Do Good
Section titled “AI Helps Us Do Good”Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence: A kind of smart computer system that can help us in many ways, like finding information or protecting nature. , or AI, is a kind of smart computer system. It can help us in many ways. AI can help doctors find sickness. It can help students practice reading and math. It can help scientists protect animals and clean oceans. It can help people find information quickly.
But AI must be used responsibly. We should follow rules when we use technology. We should ask permission permission: Asking if it is okay before using someone's information or things. before using someone’s information. We should use AI to help people, not hurt them.
Imagine your own helper robot. Maybe it helps clean up trash in your neighborhood. Maybe it helps find lost pets. Maybe it helps students learn new things. If you design a helper robot, you should also give it an important rule. The rule might be, “Always be kind,” or “Always treat people fairly,” or “Never take something without permission.”
Smart machines are part of our world. When we understand how they see, think, and learn, we can use them wisely. Robots may be powerful tools, but people are responsible for how they are used.
You are growing up in a world filled with amazing technology. One day, you might build a robot helper of your own. When you do, remember to help it see clearly, think carefully, and care about others.
Class 2-B had a new helper named Fair-Bot. Fair-Bot’s job was to hand out stickers at the end of the day.
“Line up!” said the teacher.
Fair-Bot scanned the line with its sensors. It gave a sticker to Sam. It gave a sticker to Raj. But when it got to Lily, Fair-Bot stopped. “No sticker,” Fair-Bot said.
“Hey!” said Lily. “That’s not fair!”
The students looked at Fair-Bot’s screen. They saw that Fair-Bot had a bad rule. It was only giving stickers to students wearing sneakers. Lily was wearing boots because it was raining.
“Fairness means treating everyone equally,” Sam said. “Fair-Bot, we need to change your rules.”
The class worked together to teach Fair-Bot a new rule: Every student gets one sticker, no matter what shoes they wear.
Fair-Bot beeped happily and handed Lily a shiny star. The class learned that people have to make sure robots are fair to everyone.
Think About It! 🤔
Section titled “Think About It! 🤔”- Why is it important for people to check that robots are being fair?
- If you could design a helper robot, what would it do and what rules would you give it?
- Can you think of a way AI could help your school or neighborhood?