Bridging Generations using AI-Supported Co-Creative Activities

Research Background and Issues

• Challenges Identified by the Authors: Differences in technological literacy and interests between grandparents and grandchildren often create barriers to effective interaction. This "digital divide" not only affects communication but also hinders activities such as collaborative creation.
• Why This Issue Is Important: Interaction between grandparents and grandchildren has positive impacts on family bonding, the social development of younger generations, and the self-efficacy of older generations. However, traditional joint activities (e.g., storytelling, games) struggle to engage both parties due to technological and generational gaps. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been proposed as a potential solution.
• Research Motivation and Related Work:
  • Recent advancements in AI technologies (e.g., large language models, LLMs) have lowered the barriers to technology use, offering flexible and intuitive interaction through conversational interfaces.
  • Existing literature suggests that families can leverage AI for collaborative creation through shared tasks, conversations, or entertainment activities, but its potential for intergenerational communication remains underexplored.
  • The authors are motivated to understand how AI can act as a bridge in intergenerational interactions, facilitating joint activities and overcoming technological unfamiliarity between generations.

Solution

• Method and Core Concept:

  • The authors designed an AI-supported collaborative storytelling activity as an experimental platform for intergenerational communication and connection.
  • They utilized a tool called Robo-Blocks, which is powered by a large language model (GPT-4) and provides an integrated experience for story generation, programming, and social robot control.
  • The activity design balances contributions by combining grandparents' expertise in storytelling with grandchildren's familiarity with technological operations.

• Implementation Steps:

  1. Day 1: Story Creation Activity:
     • Participants first attend an educational session on the principles of social robots.
     • Using Robo-Blocks, they engage in AI-supported storytelling, setting robots as characters in the story.
     • The activity is guided through interactive "milestone" task modules to progressively structure the story creation process.
  2. Day 2: Programming and Deployment:
     • Participants are taught the principles of robot programming and guided to convert the previously created story into a robot script.
     • Hands-on activities and robot scene demonstrations connect storytelling with technology.

• Innovative Features:

  • Intergenerational Collaboration Framework: Applying AI tools to activities that emphasize the unique skills of both generations.
  • Supportive AI Role: AI does not replace human creativity but supports it through guidance, correction, and supplementation.
  • Dynamic Role Allocation: Allows participants with varying levels of technological proficiency to complement each other as needed.

Research Outcomes

• Summary of Findings:

  • Participants identified four key roles played by AI during the activity: structured guidance tool, brainstorming aid, narrative optimization assistant, and bridge for technological gaps.
  • The two generations complemented each other's skills during the activity: grandchildren led technological operations, while grandparents contributed narrative depth and family memories.
  • The activity fostered mutual appreciation and understanding between generations while helping older participants overcome their fear of technology.

• Experiment and Evaluation Results:

  • Participant Feedback:
    • Grandchildren highly valued AI's creative support functions, while some grandparents initially expressed skepticism about AI but gradually developed positive perceptions through collaborative experiences.
    • The dynamic switching and division of roles were deemed critical to the success of the activity.
  • Quantitative Data Collection:
    • Key intergenerational interaction scenarios were identified through interviews, video analysis, screen recordings, and activity logs, such as technical support, AI clarification responses, and language assistance behaviors.
  • Technological Familiarity Analysis:
    • Grandchildren were generally more familiar with digital technology, while grandparents exhibited stronger unfamiliarity with AI. This disparity was balanced through role allocation during the activity.

• Comparative Advantages Over Existing Solutions:

  1. AI serves as a catalyst for collaborative creation, simplifying tasks and enhancing parent-child interaction.
  2. The system design supports flexible role transitions, mitigating feelings of technological exclusion.
  3. Gradual "visualization" of task progress reduces the complexity of participation.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  1. AI-generated "hallucinated" content (e.g., erroneous character additions) caused brief disruptions during the activity, requiring optimization.
  2. The one-time workshop design did not allow for in-depth evaluation of long-term impacts, such as sustained perceptions of AI technology among grandparents and grandchildren.
  3. The study sample was drawn from communities with high exposure to technology; future research should expand to more diverse backgrounds and socioeconomic groups.

General Recommendations and Design Insights

The authors propose the following AI design improvement suggestions:

1. Maintain Intergenerational Role Balance: AI tools should avoid overly adaptive designs that replace participants' unique contributions.
2. Expand Users' Mental Models of AI: Encourage users to explore the boundaries of AI functionality through gamified interaction designs.
3. Enhance Self-Reflection and Mutual Appreciation: Use AI to promote intergenerational recognition and appreciation of each other's contributions.
4. Build Structured Interaction Support: Strengthen navigation functionality through step-by-step guidance (e.g., "milestones") while providing flexibility for experienced users.
5. Increase AI Transparency and Credibility: Mitigate participant concerns by explaining AI behaviors and output processes (e.g., displaying confidence scores).

Conclusion

AI-assisted collaborative creation activities demonstrate potential in fostering intergenerational communication and bridging gaps. This study provides methodological insights and design principles for integrating AI into various intergenerational activities, contributing to the cultivation of technological inclusivity and the deepening of family connections.