Robot Design Lab Attends AI and Children’s Rights Workshop at IGF 2023
The workshop highlighted the importance of implementing UNICEF’s AI guidance to ensure safe, fair, and inclusive technologies for children
The Robot Design Lab participated in the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2023 workshop “AI & Child Rights: Implementing UNICEF Policy Guidance” (WS 469), held in Kyoto. The session brought together experts from around the world to discuss how UNICEF’s policy guidance on AI for children can be put into practice.
The workshop emphasized principles such as safety, fairness, transparency, and inclusivity—values that strongly resonate with the Lab’s ongoing work in socially intelligent robotics. As a partner in the Haru project, the Lab is developing a soft robotic neck that enhances the robot’s safety, reliability, and expressiveness, supporting its role in sensitive environments such as pediatric healthcare.
By attending the workshop, the Robot Design Lab engaged in a global exchange on how AI systems can be designed in ways that respect and advance children’s rights. For our lab, these discussions reinforce the importance of embedding ethical and child-centred considerations into the technical design of robots.
The IGF event underlined the need for collaboration between researchers, industry, and policymakers to ensure that emerging technologies such as Haru not only function reliably, but also contribute positively to children’s well-being and development.