Chatbots: The Key to Engaging Children in Peace and Security Discussions?

Peace and security discussions can often be dense, technical, and difficult to understand, even for adults. Imagine how much more challenging it can be for children to make sense of these weighty topics. The use of complex language often is a barrier keeping children from participating fully in decisions related to peace and security that affect their lives.

But what if technology could simplify these complex topics and make it easier for children to understand? Today, chatbots such as ChatGPT or the new Bing chat can break down these tough topics into language and concepts that are much more accessible for children.

Putting Chatbots to the test…

We wanted to put ChatGPT to the test, so we entered UN Security Council Resolution 1612 —the policy document that laid the foundation for protecting children in war zones — and asked for a version that kids could understand. In no time, it came back with the following:

“This is a message from a group called the United Nations Security Council. They want to help children who live in places where there are fights or wars. The Security Council thinks it's very important to make sure that children are safe during these fights. They wrote a statement that says even though people are trying to protect children, there are still many who are getting hurt or used as soldiers in wars. The statement also says that it's very bad for fighting groups to use children to fight.

The Security Council asked the leader of the United Nations, called the Secretary-General, to create a way to find out more information about children who are affected by war. This will help the Security Council know how to protect them better. The Secretary-General will work with governments and other groups to do this. The Security Council will also check how well this is working to make sure it's helping children.”

This simplified version came from a dense 5-page policy document. Impressive for a first attempt, right? The technology even allows for the language to be customized to suit the intended age group. Despite being simplified, the version covers the most crucial content of the resolution.

This piqued our curiosity and made us wonder how transformative it would be if we could use this technology to help educate children about the conflicts and peace-building efforts in their own countries. With more depth of understanding, children would be even more prepared to actively participate in peace processes, which is crucial for securing sustainable peace, especially since conflicts often have a disproportionate impact on children’s lives. In countries like DR Congo, Colombia, and Ukraine, children and young people have faced immense hardships such as displacement, school attacks and closures and being coerced into joining the conflict. Shouldn’t they also have a say in peace efforts?

We tested this concept by feeding Chat GPT with a complex description of the background to the conflict in Ethiopia, and it generated a child-friendly version in no time:

“There is a big problem happening in a place called Tigray, which is in Ethiopia. Different groups of people are fighting, including the army and a group called the Tigray People's Liberation Front. The fighting started because the Tigray group did not like the government's decision to delay elections. The fighting has been really bad and many people have been hurt. Some other countries are also involved. People have had to leave their homes and many are struggling to get the things they need, like food and medicine.”

Having this kind of information easily accessible to children could be groundbreaking, providing a conversation starter for discussions among children — or between adults and children — to talk about their experiences, stories, and ideas on conflict and peace.

How else can chatbots help engage children in peace and security issues?

The possibilities are endless. Yet, these attempts to turn complex documents into child-friendly ones using chatbots come with inherent flaws and risks. Since chatbots rely on algorithms, mistakes can happen. Plus, documents might need more explaining, more pictures, and most importantly, testing by kids themselves. Still, there are many more exciting possibilities for involving children in peace efforts by using this technology. Here are a few examples:

• Develop interactive chatbots that children can ask questions about peace and security. This would help them find the information they need about the conflict, learn about organizations that can help them and find ways to get involved in peace efforts.

• Make child-friendly versions of websites about peace and security that are usually only designed for adults. This simpler version would be more accessible for children (and adults) to understand.

• Make guides that explain issues like conflict resolution, disarmament and humanitarian aid. Children could use these guides directly, as could teachers, parents and community leaders to help get a deeper grasp of these topics.

By using AI chatbots in these ways, more children can engage in vital conversations about peace and security and work with adults on these pressing issues. Who knows what innovative and transformative solutions we might generate together?