Skills for an AI World

This report shares children's perspectives on AI and what they need to thrive in a world shaped by it. It draws on child-centred consultations with 97 children aged 9 to 17 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Mozambique, Rwanda and Senegal. **Key findings** - Children mostly use AI chatbots for schoolwork, finding information and learning new skills, with older adolescents engaging in more sophisticated ways. - Optimism about AI comes with real worries: privacy and safety risks, false information, over-dependence on AI and, for older adolescents, future job losses. - Children value digital skills (especially prompting), critical thinking and information verification, safety and data-privacy awareness, and foundational literacy and numeracy. - They want to use AI in moderation, keep learning skills themselves and invest in human relationships. - They see prior subject knowledge as essential for using AI well, and stress that AI is a non-sentient technology. **Recommendations** - Take a holistic approach to skills development. - Strengthen skills development beyond formal education, including for parents and caregivers. - Address the digital divide so every child has meaningful connectivity. - Ground all initiatives in local realities, including infrastructure, culture and language.