Learning through AI Conversationals
In partnership with PBS KIDS and the University of California-Irvine, Mighty Picnic produced three responsive AI-enabled episodes featuring characters and stories from Lyla in the Loop. These interactive videos feature predetermined moments where Lyla and Stu ask viewers what to do next and invite children to verbalize their ideas for solving the problem. Using automatic speech recognition and natural language processing, the characters respond to viewers’ verbal answers with pre-written dialogue that guides the discussion toward the episode’s core learning goals.
In several phases of testing with children ages 4-8 years old, which included randomized control trials with over 200 children, researchers found that children who watched the AI conversational episodes demonstrated higher engagement and learning outcomes compared to those who watched the episodes without responsive AI features. Read more at the Hollywood Reporter or on the University of Michigan’s website.
Research Initiatives
Code-Switching in the Digital Age
Funded by the Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood and conducted in collaboration with Boston University’s Wheelock School of Education and Human Development, Mighty Picnic is exploring how children adjust their language when communicating with AI. This year-long study focuses on code-switching—how children adjust their speech patterns when talking with people versus AI, in this case, when giving step-by-step instructions to help the character Stu make a sandwich. Findings from this research will offer valuable insights for designing linguistically responsive technologies that better reflect and support children’s diverse ways of communicating.
Gaming with Voice-UX
Mighty Picnic and the team at Makefully Studios collaborated to prototype an AI-enabled game that allows players to use voice commands to direct the character Stu as he serves up food to the hungry customers at the Loops Lunch Diner. Using Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology to convert speech into text, the game is able to use the players’ voice inputs to advance gameplay and help the Loops manage the lunch rush!
Deepening AI Literacy
With funding from the Overdeck Family Foundation, Mighty Picnic has partnered with PBS KIDS and Rockman et al. Cooperative to conduct research and storybook testing to explore how Lyla in the Loop can most effectively build kids’ AI literacy skills. Insights from this work will inform future content creation with the aim of deepening children’s awareness, understanding, and effective use of AI tools.
