Teenagers as young as 13 are worried artificial intelligence (AI) will have a negative effect on their future careers, a National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) event at Dublin City University heard on Wednesday. The new NYCI research, Irish Young People Decode AI, found an enthusiasm for the benefits offered by the technology tempered by a belief that there needs to be better education and regulation around it.Modelled on the Citizens’ Assembly, the views of participants were gathered through group conversations with expert advice from academics and professionals working in the area available to the young people.Addressing the launch of the report, NYCI policy officer Reuban Murray told the audience: “We were really surprised the issue of jobs and the jobs market across every single jury and from people as young as 13.”In many cases, he said, however, the concerns were focused on the growing challenge of connecting with people when applying for a job, as AI is routinely used in the early selection rounds.Murray said there were other reservations around using the technology, particularly relating to safety and privacy but the clear message from the young people involved was that they favour tighter regulation, not outright bans and that the regulation should set out different restrictions on under-16s and under-12s.“There’s so much online about how bad AI is, but it can definitely be useful,” said Nathan Geszczak, a 16-year-old student from Mullingar, who is about to enter sixth year and who uses AI for schoolwork. He feels many young people could do with more support with the technology.“Young people are expected to know so much more about the internet because they grew up with it, but sometimes they just don’t know. They don’t understand the risks associated with AI,” he said.“The main thing I think people use it for is schoolwork, really, but they are not necessarily using it correctly. Instead of asking a chatbot to explain something to them, they are using it to get the answers, and so a lot of the time, they are not learning anything.”He said being part of a project intended to make use of AI safer for young people was incredible, but he is one of those concerned about the impact it might have on his future.“I want to get into the arts and that’s very threatened by AI. Every time there’s some new development in AI, it seems there are fewer people being commissioned to do work; businesses just use AI to make them a poster. It’s used in music videos [and] film. It’s very discouraging when you’re someone who wants to get into the arts.”Abeba Birhane, assistant professor of artificial intelligence and computer science at Trinity College Dublin, said Ireland was behind when it came to regulation of social media and now AI because of the Government’s “cosy” relationship with big tech firms.She said banning younger users was an “easy option” for the companies and would not be effective.“What we need to do is think of more creative ways of making it safer for young people. We need to be more critical, informed and aware, though, and ask ourselves if it is in their [big tech firms’) interest to create a safe digital space.”She cited research done at Trinity’s AI Accountability Lab which found what they considered to be the safest version of one AI chatbot, also to have been the firm’s shortest-lived.“When you create models that are generally safer, you are not generating as much revenue,” she said.