60 per cent children in major Indian cities use GenAI regularly, reveals Gateway Consulting report

Mumbai, Aug 23 (Bureau) Gateway Consulting, a leading public policy research firm, on Thursday released a research report, titled ‘Enhancing Children’s Learning and Critical Thinking Skills in the Age of Generative AI’, showing that 60 per cent children in major Indian cities use GenAI regularly. The report provided a comprehensive analysis on the use of Generative AI (GenAI) among children and offered recommendations for parents and educators on how they can ensure responsible use of GenAI by children for their learning needs.

As per a survey conducted amongst 1,040 parents across major urban centres such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune and Ahmedabad, majority of parents (77 per cent) said their children use GenAI for educational purposes, while 20 per cent used it for personal interests, and two per cent used it for social-emotional support and life skills. However, parental views on GenAI’s potential to enhance critical thinking were mixed, with 37 per cent acknowledging its benefits, 26 per cent being sceptical and 37 per cent remaining neutral. Notably, even though the survey was conducted amongst educated target audiences from urban centres, it emerged that 61 per cent parents admitted to not guiding their children on responsible GenAI use, said a release here.