Czech NGO Founder Tests Chatbot Limits to Better Understand AI Risks for Children

Eva Nečasová, who founded the Czech nonprofit organization AI Children four years ago to promote artificial intelligence literacy among young people, has been personally testing the boundaries of AI chatbots — including attempts to push them into territory they are designed to prohibit — in order to better understand the risks children face online. Nečasová, speaking in an interview, discussed her hands-on research approach, which has included highly personal interactions with chatbot systems to map out how far minors might be able to push such tools beyond their intended limitations. She also addressed sharp criticism of AI's influence on children made by Czech Catholic priest and philosopher Tomáš Halík, as well as the broader concerns that originally motivated her to establish the organization. AI Children focuses on educating children, parents, and educators about artificial intelligence, aiming to equip young people with the critical thinking skills needed to navigate an increasingly AI-driven world.