
Children describe technology that gives them a sense of ambiguity as 'creepy' - howard941
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190516185925.htm
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toufka
When null defaults aren't actually innocuous:

> For example, when a child asked a digital voice assistant if it would kill
> him in his sleep and it said, "I can't answer that," the child was
> concerned.

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derefr
It's just the specific phrasing, though. A different phrasing like "I don't
understand your question" would also be fully general, and wouldn't be
concerning at all.

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bch
> “I don’t understand your question”

That’s actually specific and more precise, which is the point. It also shifts
the burden of fault to the machine, rather than, with the alternative,
wondering if it’s holding out on you.

This is akin to the manners we’re taught as children.

~~~
jasonhansel
"Do you understand the difference between right and wrong?"

"I don't understand your question."

Nope, still creepy.

~~~
derefr
I mean, we can be as precise as you like; it just gets unwieldy: "I do not
have experience or training with this type of question, and have no general
capacity to answer questions that I have not been specifically trained to
answer."

Or, in the immortal words of Infocom's Z-machine: "Huh?"

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cardamomo
Hopeful takeaway: This research will help us better understand children's
social, emotional, and cognitive development so we might support their growth
and human relationships.

Cynical takeaway: This research makes it easier to produce apps and devices
that capture and exploit children's trust.

~~~
781
> This research makes it easier to produce apps and devices that capture and
> exploit children's trust.

You mean like the toy industry? I wonder why all kids toys are so brightly
colored. It's as if it had a purpose...

~~~
cardamomo
Of course the toy and entertainment industries have learned similar lessons
already. This research stands out to me, though, because it's not considering
products that are explicitly directed at children. Rather, it considers the
broader role of technology within children's home lives. Children have always
been surrounded by technology designed for and used by the adults in their
lives. Our era is no exception to that.

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evrydayhustling
Really interesting study. Article DOI link is broken, so here is ACM page
where you can get original study:
[https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=3300303](https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=3300303)

I think this is both interesting and valuable, but since it's reported as a
study this is an important caveat: it looks like it is based on 11 children
who were all part of a group that gas done collaborative design exercises and
studies repeatedly for several years. So this is _not_ a typical child cohort,
which might explain why they know so much about facial recognition (and
Corraline :) ).

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stabbles
Don't tell the kids! Otherwise they might stop giving this meaning to the
word, rendering the research useless.

