Wednesday, 18 March 2026
2:30 — 3:30 pm
Online
TEAMS LINK
Director of FractalAI
Murray Webster presents the FractalAI research project ‘Building Citizen Literacy for Robust AI’. The UK Government has set out a bold strategy for the AI transition. The economic and productivity benefits of large-scale AI adoption are clear, but a genuine commitment to human-centred AI means that AI’s growing role in everyday life cannot be accepted uncritically.
Instead, citizens’ AI literacy must be developed. Just as children must learn to read to participate fully in society, so too must people learn to engage critically with AI: to understand the ethical uses of AI; to be wary of AI-generated images and text; and to balance human cognitive strengths with the capabilities of machines. The only way to use a tool responsibly is to understand its limitations and the effects it has on individuals and on society.
This research project has been developed in collaboration with UK universities and other research organisations, with the aim of building citizen AI literacy through early-childhood activities for parents and children. The foundations for literacy that parents can help build with their children are unparalleled in scope and depth, provided sufficient support is given to all those involved.
With this in mind, and to support the UK Government’s AI transition, the project team is developing and refining resources that parents can use to help teach their children about AI, building the foundations of AI literacy in a safe and nurturing environment. A critical aim of this project is to give parents the confidence they need to engage with their children on this topic. Given the novelty and astonishing pace of AI development, many adults are not yet AI-literate themselves. The project aims to support both groups in adapting to new technologies and their impacts.
This project does not approach AI purely in technical terms. It is interested in multimodal literacy, spanning the technical, creative, economic and social domains. Citizens must be equipped to encounter AI across all aspects of their lives, and this begins in childhood.
This talk will present the project’s methodology, results and current progress. Murray will discuss the project’s resource-development strategies and plans for future engagement with the public, academic institutions and government.