Thinking, Making, Enacting - A Multi-Modal Approach to Children's Conception of AI

Michaela Honauer; M. Birna van Riemsdijk

doi:10.1145/3772363.3798981

Thinking, Making, Enacting - A Multi-Modal Approach to Children's Conception of AI

Michaela Honauer^*
, M. Birna van Riemsdijk

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Academic › peer-review

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Abstract

Understanding how children conceive of AI is essential as AI-enabled technologies become part of their everyday lives. Yet most research relies on verbal or survey-based methods that capture only a limited view of children's perspectives. We address this gap through a multi-modal, participatory study with 50 primary-school children aged 6-11. We combine group discussions with picture and sticker tasks, craft-based prototyping, and embodied theater activities. Across all modes, children described AI as conversational and often humanoid, but in the design and performing mode they created non-anthropomorphic, relational devices that revealed power dynamics and boundaries rarely visible in recall modes alone. The findings show that children's understandings are mode-dependent and multi-layered, suggesting that researchers and designers can access children's lived experiences and imaginative futures with AI by using a mix of multi-modal methods.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	CHI EA '26
Subtitle of host publication	Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Editors	Nuria Oliver, David A. Shamma, Heloisa Candello, Pablo Cesar, Pedro Lopes, Valentino Artizzu, Fiona Draxler, Gustavo Lopez, Anke V. Reinschluessel, Xin Tong, Phoebe O. Toups Dugas
Place of Publication	New York, NY
Publisher	Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Number of pages	20
ISBN (Electronic)	979-8-4007-2281-3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1145/3772363.3798981
Publication status	Published - 13 Apr 2026
Event	2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2026 - Barcelona, Spain Duration: 13 Apr 2026 → 17 Apr 2026

Conference

Conference	2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2026
Abbreviated title	CHI
Country/Territory	Spain
City	Barcelona
Period	13/04/26 → 17/04/26

Keywords

Child-centered AI
Embodied design
Intimate technologies
Participatory design Research
Relational dynamics

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10.1145/3772363.3798981Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

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Honauer, M., & van Riemsdijk, M. B. (2026). Thinking, Making, Enacting - A Multi-Modal Approach to Children's Conception of AI. In N. Oliver, D. A. Shamma, H. Candello, P. Cesar, P. Lopes, V. Artizzu, F. Draxler, G. Lopez, A. V. Reinschluessel, X. Tong, & P. O. Toups Dugas (Eds.), CHI EA '26: Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems Article 671 Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). https://doi.org/10.1145/3772363.3798981

Honauer, Michaela ; van Riemsdijk, M. Birna. / Thinking, Making, Enacting - A Multi-Modal Approach to Children's Conception of AI. CHI EA '26: Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. editor / Nuria Oliver ; David A. Shamma ; Heloisa Candello ; Pablo Cesar ; Pedro Lopes ; Valentino Artizzu ; Fiona Draxler ; Gustavo Lopez ; Anke V. Reinschluessel ; Xin Tong ; Phoebe O. Toups Dugas. New York, NY : Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), 2026.

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title = "Thinking, Making, Enacting - A Multi-Modal Approach to Children's Conception of AI",

abstract = "Understanding how children conceive of AI is essential as AI-enabled technologies become part of their everyday lives. Yet most research relies on verbal or survey-based methods that capture only a limited view of children's perspectives. We address this gap through a multi-modal, participatory study with 50 primary-school children aged 6-11. We combine group discussions with picture and sticker tasks, craft-based prototyping, and embodied theater activities. Across all modes, children described AI as conversational and often humanoid, but in the design and performing mode they created non-anthropomorphic, relational devices that revealed power dynamics and boundaries rarely visible in recall modes alone. The findings show that children's understandings are mode-dependent and multi-layered, suggesting that researchers and designers can access children's lived experiences and imaginative futures with AI by using a mix of multi-modal methods.",

keywords = "Child-centered AI, Embodied design, Intimate technologies, Participatory design Research, Relational dynamics",

author = "Michaela Honauer and \{van Riemsdijk\}, \{M. Birna\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2026 Copyright held by the owner/author(s).; 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2026, CHI ; Conference date: 13-04-2026 Through 17-04-2026",

year = "2026",

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day = "13",

doi = "10.1145/3772363.3798981",

language = "English",

editor = "Nuria Oliver and Shamma, \{David A.\} and Heloisa Candello and Pablo Cesar and Pedro Lopes and Valentino Artizzu and Fiona Draxler and Gustavo Lopez and Reinschluessel, \{Anke V.\} and Xin Tong and \{Toups Dugas\}, \{Phoebe O.\}",

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publisher = "Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)",

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}

Honauer, M & van Riemsdijk, MB 2026, Thinking, Making, Enacting - A Multi-Modal Approach to Children's Conception of AI. in N Oliver, DA Shamma, H Candello, P Cesar, P Lopes, V Artizzu, F Draxler, G Lopez, AV Reinschluessel, X Tong & PO Toups Dugas (eds), CHI EA '26: Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems., 671, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), New York, NY, 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2026, Barcelona, Spain, 13/04/26. https://doi.org/10.1145/3772363.3798981

Thinking, Making, Enacting - A Multi-Modal Approach to Children's Conception of AI. / Honauer, Michaela; van Riemsdijk, M. Birna.
CHI EA '26: Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ed. / Nuria Oliver; David A. Shamma; Heloisa Candello; Pablo Cesar; Pedro Lopes; Valentino Artizzu; Fiona Draxler; Gustavo Lopez; Anke V. Reinschluessel; Xin Tong; Phoebe O. Toups Dugas. New York, NY: Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), 2026. 671.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Academic › peer-review

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T1 - Thinking, Making, Enacting - A Multi-Modal Approach to Children's Conception of AI

AU - Honauer, Michaela

AU - van Riemsdijk, M. Birna

PY - 2026/4/13

Y1 - 2026/4/13

N2 - Understanding how children conceive of AI is essential as AI-enabled technologies become part of their everyday lives. Yet most research relies on verbal or survey-based methods that capture only a limited view of children's perspectives. We address this gap through a multi-modal, participatory study with 50 primary-school children aged 6-11. We combine group discussions with picture and sticker tasks, craft-based prototyping, and embodied theater activities. Across all modes, children described AI as conversational and often humanoid, but in the design and performing mode they created non-anthropomorphic, relational devices that revealed power dynamics and boundaries rarely visible in recall modes alone. The findings show that children's understandings are mode-dependent and multi-layered, suggesting that researchers and designers can access children's lived experiences and imaginative futures with AI by using a mix of multi-modal methods.

AB - Understanding how children conceive of AI is essential as AI-enabled technologies become part of their everyday lives. Yet most research relies on verbal or survey-based methods that capture only a limited view of children's perspectives. We address this gap through a multi-modal, participatory study with 50 primary-school children aged 6-11. We combine group discussions with picture and sticker tasks, craft-based prototyping, and embodied theater activities. Across all modes, children described AI as conversational and often humanoid, but in the design and performing mode they created non-anthropomorphic, relational devices that revealed power dynamics and boundaries rarely visible in recall modes alone. The findings show that children's understandings are mode-dependent and multi-layered, suggesting that researchers and designers can access children's lived experiences and imaginative futures with AI by using a mix of multi-modal methods.

KW - Child-centered AI

KW - Embodied design

KW - Intimate technologies

KW - Participatory design Research

KW - Relational dynamics

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DO - 10.1145/3772363.3798981

M3 - Conference contribution

AN - SCOPUS:105038089344

BT - CHI EA '26

A2 - Oliver, Nuria

A2 - Shamma, David A.

A2 - Candello, Heloisa

A2 - Cesar, Pablo

A2 - Lopes, Pedro

A2 - Artizzu, Valentino

A2 - Draxler, Fiona

A2 - Lopez, Gustavo

A2 - Reinschluessel, Anke V.

A2 - Tong, Xin

A2 - Toups Dugas, Phoebe O.

PB - Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

CY - New York, NY

T2 - 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2026

Y2 - 13 April 2026 through 17 April 2026

ER -

Honauer M, van Riemsdijk MB. Thinking, Making, Enacting - A Multi-Modal Approach to Children's Conception of AI. In Oliver N, Shamma DA, Candello H, Cesar P, Lopes P, Artizzu V, Draxler F, Lopez G, Reinschluessel AV, Tong X, Toups Dugas PO, editors, CHI EA '26: Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. New York, NY: Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). 2026. 671 doi: 10.1145/3772363.3798981

Thinking, Making, Enacting - A Multi-Modal Approach to Children's Conception of AI

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