University of Washington introduces AI Puzzlers, a game designed to help children recognize AI errors and sharpen their reasoning skills, showing that sometimes, kids are smarter than AI.
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed an innovative game to teach children to identify and understand the limitations of artificial intelligence. The game, named AI Puzzlers, allows kids to solve reasoning puzzles that AI systems often fail, thus highlighting AI’s vulnerabilities and promoting critical thinking.
The game focuses on ‘ARC’ puzzles, which are visual pattern recognition challenges. While these puzzles are simple enough for children to solve, they often stump even the most advanced AI systems.
“Kids naturally loved ARC puzzles and they’re not specific to any language or culture,” lead author Aayushi Dangol, a doctoral student in human centered design and engineering at UW, said in a news release. “Because the puzzles rely solely on visual pattern recognition, even kids that can’t read yet can play and learn. They get a lot of satisfaction in being able to solve the puzzles, and then in seeing AI — which they might consider super smart — fail at the puzzles that they thought were easy.”
The development team tested AI Puzzlers with over 100 children from grades 3 to 8 during the UW College of Engineering’s Discovery Days.
They also conducted sessions with KidsTeam UW, a project where children ages 6-11 help design new technologies. The kids’ feedback was instrumental in enhancing the game, leading to the inclusion of an “Assist Mode” where children could help guide the AI chatbots toward the correct solutions.
“The kids in KidsTeam are used to giving advice on how to make a piece of technology better,” added co-senior author Jason Yip, a UW associate professor in the Information School and KidsTeam director. “We hadn’t really thought about adding the Assist Mode feature, but during these co-design sessions, we were talking with the kids about how we might help AI solve the puzzles and the idea came from that.”
The research team found that children using AI Puzzlers not only spotted errors in AI solutions but also gained insights into how AI generates responses. Understanding these differences aids in developing a more nuanced perspective on technology.
As one child observed, “This is the internet’s mind. It’s trying to solve it based only on the internet, but the human brain is creative.”
The research team underscores the importance of such educational tools in equipping children for a future where AI is omnipresent.
“Kids are smart and capable,” added co-senior author Julie Kientz, a UW professor and chair in human centered design and engineering. “We need to give them opportunities to make up their own minds about what AI is and isn’t, because they’re actually really capable of recognizing it. And they can be bigger skeptics than adults.”
The team’s findings were presented at the Interaction Design and Children 2025 conference in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Source: University of Washington