AN IMAGINATIVE writer has imagined the chaos which might ensue if Father Christmas swapped his little helpers for artificial intelligence (AI).
Chris White needed to spark conversations about advancing expertise and the way it’s altering the best way folks work along with his debut kids’s e book, The Way forward for Christmas.
The rhyming image e book tells the story of how Santa and his chief elf Bernard take a look at out AI on Christmas Eve leading to a disaster in delivering the presents.
Rugby resident Chris – father to eight-year-old Rose, seven-year-old Anabelle, and two-year-old Felicity – needed to introduce topics to younger kids that are much less generally coated in colleges, and which partly stem from his background in folks and organisational psychology.
He stated: “I used to be impressed to jot down a couple of digital age Santa as a result of I needed to do one thing on artificial intelligence after studying Calum Chace’s Surviving AI publication.
“I didn’t need to write books that prescribe studying like textbooks. I needed them to be enjoyable tales with an underlying studying message, so I considered what youngsters might relate to.
“At first I considered self-driving vehicles taking youngsters to highschool, then I received onto the thought of Christmas – it appeared to have a lot alternative.”
The previous human sources skilled has written his first story throughout a profession break, and has different books within the pipeline, introducing youngsters to lofty ideas akin to information privateness and surveillance, range, and the facility of self-belief.
“As soon as I’ve an thought for what the topic of the story goes to be, I most get pleasure from it when the sequential elements of the story come collectively.
“I additionally like testing them on my youngsters – significantly whether or not they’ve picked up the important thing themes I’m making an attempt to get throughout!”
And the tales appear to have gone down nicely with Rose, Anabelle, Felicity and spouse Lisa.
“All the suggestions up to now has been constructive,” he stated, “however I feel that’s as a result of it’s family and friends, who are typically well mannered!
“I will need to have learn 100 iterations of the e book and you’re by no means glad, and after I learn it again now I nonetheless discover issues I don’t like – nevertheless it’s all a part of the training course of.”
Chris hopes to make use of what he has discovered for a sequel to The Way forward for Christmas, which can discover how a robotic Santa decides who’s naughty and good.
He stated: “I actually hope that the tales begin to open folks up extra to youngsters studying about what I name ‘future-proofing’ topics.
“The world is turning into more and more automated, and I consider an understanding of this and its implications is required.
“The extra youngsters now we have studying about these topics from a younger age, the extra specialists we can have sooner or later – and the safer our world will probably be!”
The Way forward for Christmas is out there on Amazon.
