Over 100 Groups Call on Governments to Require Safety Proofs for AI Aimed at Children

More than 100 organizations urged governments to make artificial intelligence safe for children, Euronews reported. The coalition, led by the children's rights group 5Rights Foundation and including Amnesty International and Save the Children, issued the call one day before the United Nations holds its first global summit on AI governance.

The group stated that AI is already harming children and that current regulatory approaches fail by intervening only after damage occurs.

Lawsuits have increased against companies such as Character Technologies and OpenAI, particularly over companion chatbots designed to simulate emotional relationships and marketed to children without adequate warnings. In a statement released on Monday ahead of the UN's inaugural Global Dialogue on AI Governance, the coalition outlined ten measures for governments.

These include requiring companies to prove AI systems are safe for children before release, imposing financial penalties for violations of children's rights, banning design features that exploit children's psychological vulnerabilities, and outlawing commercial use of children's images, voices, and biometric data.

The group argued that no new laws are needed and that governments should instead enforce existing commitments under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN's Global Digital Compact. "Children have given us a clear diagnosis of the problem," said Leanda Barrington-Leach, executive director of 5Rights.

" Barrington-Leach added that companies continue to be rewarded for speed, engagement, and data extraction rather than safety.