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Research

Generation AI is a multidisciplinary research project producing scientific knowledge on AI education, children's rights in algorithmic environments and digital inequality. The project is funded by the Academy of Finland's Strategic Research Council SHIELD programme.

Research Agenda

The project covers four interconnected research themes.

01

Pedagogical models for AI education

We develop and evaluate new teaching tools and methods for pre-primary and primary education. The aim is practical pedagogy that does not require coding skills.

02

Children's rights in AI systems

We study children's consent, privacy and decision-making capacity in AI-based learning environments in relation to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the EU General Data Protection Regulation.

03

Cybersecurity and the algorithmic environment

We investigate how the algorithmic environment — recommendation systems, profiling, disinformation — affects children's and young people's sense of safety and trust.

04

Digital inequality and agency

We examine skills gaps and digital agency: who benefits from AI and who is left behind — and how educational solutions can narrow these divides.

SHIELD Programme

Generation AI is one of the projects funded by the Academy of Finland's Strategic Research Council (STN) Security and Trust in the Age of Algorithms (SHIELD) programme. The programme brings together research projects examining security and trust in the age of information technology and hybrid influence.

Other SHIELD projects

  • DECA — Democratic epistemic capacity in the age of algorithms Mervi Pantti, UH
  • REPAIR — Breakdowns and new beginnings of algorithmic systems Minna Ruckenstein, UH
  • Trust-M — Designing trustworthy digital public services for immigrants Nitin Sawhney, Aalto

Scientific conferences and events

Publication:The data-driven comprehensive school – balancing the protection of children’s personal data with educational objectives

Data is collected almost everywhere, and schools have also become data factories.Data literacy, personal data protection and digital security skills are becoming increasingly important and a prerequisite for participation in society. The concept of datafication describes the transformation of aspects of an individual’s life into digital data that can be used for descriptive, predictive or…

Children's rights have not been adequately considered in the EU's artificial intelligence regulation

Susanna Lindroos-Hovinheimo wrote a blog post to the European Law Blog on 12.9.2023. Below is a brief summary of the text: Negotiations on the EU's artificial intelligence regulation are ongoing and the topic is widely discussed. However, children's rights have not been given special consideration in the preparation process. Although the regulation proposal has developed in the direction of taking fundamental rights into account, the articles of the regulation have not been written with child protection in mind. The positions of the Commission, Council and Parliament…

Keynote Lecture at ITICSE 23 Conference: "K-12 Computing Education in the Age of AI: From Data Literacy to Data Agency"

Background: Prof. Matti Tedre and University Researcher Henriikka Vartiainen delivered the keynote speech at the ITICSE conference in July 2023. The presentation's English title is: "K-12 Computing Education for the AI Era: From Data Literacy to Data Agency". Read more here: https://iticse.acm.org/2023/keynote-speakers-2/ Machine-translated (chatGPT) summary of the presentation: The question of how to teach traditional rule-based programming has guided much of computing education research since the 1950s. In K-12 (school) contexts, a consensus has emerged over time regarding paradigmatic elements of computing education that assume the computer executes series of instructions guided by a sequence of commands. Within this framework, many researchers have focused on how to help learners develop an accurate mental model of what the computer does when executing a code snippet.

Prof. Tedre Participated in the Humanization of Computing and Engineering Education Symposium in Uppsala

Our project leader, Prof. Matti Tedre participated on 8.6.2023 in Uppsala (Sweden) in a Fireside Chat discussion on the topic "education in the disciplines of computing and engineering, with the goal of humanization in this particular context" Schedule: STARTING TIME ACTIVITY 9:00 AM Opening: Virginia Grande 9:30 AM Keynote: Matilde Sánchez-Peña: positionality, well-being (of teachers and students), and other emerging trends in…

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Research presentations and keynote speeches

A structured list of the project's scientific presentations, keynote speeches, workshops and other research-related appearances.

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Scientific Publications

The publication list is compiled from the project's reported publication table. DOI or source links open in a new tab when available.

Scientific publications

Authors Year Title Publication Link Code
Vartiainen, H. & Tedre, M 2023 Using artificial intelligence in craft education: crafting with text-to-image generative models Digital Creativity 34(1), 1-21 A1
Jormanainen et al 2023 Learning Machine Learning in K-12 Computer Science Education: Perspectives on Teaching and Learning in School. Chapter 6 in "Computer Science Education: Perspectives on Teaching and Learning in School." Bloomsbury Publishing, UK A3c
Tedre, M.; Kahila, J.; Vartiainen, H 2023 Exploration on how co-designing with AI facilitates critical evaluation of ethics of AI in craft education Proceedings of SITE'2023, pp. 2289-2296. Association of Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) A4
Vartiainen et al 2023 Pre-service teachers' understandings of privacy in social media environments Proceedings of SITE'2023, pp. 99-105. Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) A4
Kahila et al 2023 Generation AI: AI Education for the Security Mindset (GenAI) (Poster presentation + abstract). Proceedings of SITE'2023, pp. 28-31. Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) Poster
Vartiainen, H.; Tedre, M. & Jormanainen, I 2023 Co-creating digital art with generative AI in K-9 education: Socio-material insights International Journal of Education Through Art, 19(3), pp. 405-423 A1
Vartiainen et al 2023 More than fabricated news reports: Children's perspectives and experiences of fake news Journal of Media Literacy Education A1
Tedre, M. & Vartiainen, H 2023 K-12 Computing Education for the AI Era: From Data Literacy to Data Agency (Keynote abstract). Proceedings of ACM ITiCSE'23 B3
Tedre, M.; Makitalo, K.; Vartiainen, H.; Kahila, J.; Laru, J.; Iwata, M 2023 Generation AI: Participatory Machine Learning Co-Design Projects with K-9 Students in Finland Proceedings of the 2023 Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 2, p. 657 Poster
Sanusi, I. T.; Oyelere, S. S.; Suhonen, J.; Vartiainen, H.; Tukiainen, M 2023 Developing middle school students' understanding of machine learning in an African school Computers & Education: Artificial Intelligence, 5, 100155 A1
Sanusi, I. T.; Omidiora, J. O.; Oyelere, S. S.; Vartiainen, H.; Suhonen, J.; Tukiainen, M 2023 Preparing middle schoolers for a machine learning-enabled future through design-oriented pedagogy IEEE Access, 11 A1
Sanusi, I.; Sunday, K.; Oyelere, S. S.; Vartiainen, H.; Suhonen, J.; Tukiainen, M 2023 Learning machine learning with young children: Exploring informal settings in an African context Computer Science Education A1
Sanusi, I. T.; Oyelere, S. S.; Vartiainen, H.; Suhonen, J.; Tukiainen, M 2022 A systematic review of teaching and learning machine learning in K-12 education Education and Information Technologies A2
Davies, S.; Sormunen, K.; Kangas, K 2024 Epistemic Doubt - a Key Competence for Productive Participation in the Era of Artificial Intelligence In Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL), pp. 415-416 A4
Kahila, J.; Lin, A.; Arkko, E 2023 How we taught AI concepts, workflows, and ethics to 200 schoolchildren Proceedings of 23rd Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research Poster
Faisal, K 2023 Certain Legal Aspects of Children's Right to Protect Personal Data in the Context of AI under the European Union Data Protection Laws In Korpisaari, P. (ed.) Vapaita sanoja: Viestintaoikeuden vuosikirja 2022, pp. 106-137 A3
Lindroos-Hovinheimo, S 2023 How to Study Conceptions of Personhood in Law: The Case of European Privacy Law In Vienna Lectures on Legal Philosophy, Volume 3: Legal Reasoning. Hart Publishing, pp. 65-80 A3c
Mertala, P.; Lopez-Pernas, S.; Vartiainen, H.; Saqr, M.; Tedre, M 2024 Digital natives in the scientific literature: A topic modeling approach Computers in Human Behavior, 152, 108076 A2
Tedre, M.; Kahila, J.; Vartiainen, H 2024 Exploration on How Co-designing with AI Facilitates Critical Evaluation of Ethics of AI in Craft Education In Research Highlights in Technology and Teacher Education 2023, pp. 15-24 A3c
Vartiainen, H. & Tedre, M 2024 How Text-to-Image Generative AI is Transforming Mediated Action IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, 44(2), 12-22 A1
Kahila, J.; Vartiainen, H.; Tedre, M.; Arkko, E.; Lin, A.; Pope, N.; Jormanainen, I.; Valtonen, T 2024 Pedagogical framework for cultivating children's data agency and creative abilities in the age of AI Informatics in Education, 1-42 A1
Niinimaki, N.; Sormunen, K.; Seitamaa-Hakkarainen, P.; Kangas, K 2025 Technological competence in formal education collaborative maker projects: An epistemic network analysis Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 41(1), e13114 A1
Apiola, M.; Vartiainen, H.; Tedre, M 2024 First Year CS Students Exploring And Identifying Biases and Social Injustices in Text-to-Image Generative AI Proceedings of the 2024 ACM ITiCSE Conference, pp. 485-491 A4
Pope, N.; Kahila, J.; Laru, J.; Vartiainen, H.; Roos, T.; Tedre, M 2024 An Educational Tool for Learning about Social Media Tracking, Profiling, and Recommendation Proceedings of the 2024 IEEE ICALT Conference A4c
Pope, N.; Vartiainen, H.; Kahila, J.; Laru, J.; Tedre, M 2024 A No-Code AI Education Tool for Learning AI in K-12 by Making Machine Learning-Driven Apps Proceedings of the 2024 IEEE ICALT Conference A4c
Jormanainen, I.; Vartiainen, H.; Kahila, J.; Tedre, M 2024 Exploring the Dynamics of Scaffolding in K-12 ML/AI Education: Insights from a Machine Learning Workshop Proceedings of the 2024 IEEE ICALT Conference A4c
Vartiainen, H.; Kahila, J.; Lopez-Pernas, S.; Pope, N.; Tedre, M 2024 Enhancing Children's Understanding of Algorithmic Biases In And With Text-to-Image Generative AI New Media & Society A1
Romero, M.; Frosig, T.; Taylor-Beswick, A. M. L.; Laru, J.; Bernasco, B.; Urmeneta, A.; Strutynska, O.; Girard, M.-A 2024 Manifesto in defence of human-centred education in the age of artificial intelligence In Creative Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Education. Palgrave MacMillan A3
Sormunen, K.; Pietarinen, T.; Davies, S.; Kangas, K.; Roos, T Metaphors in Young Children's Learning With and About AI: The Case of Superheroes International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction A1
Kahila, J.; Vartiainen, H.; Arkko, E.; Lin, A.; Pope, N.; Tedre, M 2024 Enhancing understanding of data traces and profiling among K-9 students through interactive classroom game In Proceedings of the 19th WiPSCE Conference on Primary and Secondary Computing Education Research A4
Vartiainen, H.; Valtonen, T.; Kahila, J.; Tedre, M 2024 ChatGPT and Imaginaries of the Future of Education: Insights of Finnish Teacher Educators Information and Learning Sciences A1
Silvennoinen, E.; Valtonen, T.; Tedre, M 2024 Datafikoituva peruskoulu - tasapainoilua lapsen henkilötietojen suojan ja opetuksen tavoitteiden valilla Lakimies 122(5), 655-678 A1
Lin, A.; Arkko, E.; Pope, N.; Kahila, J 2024 Teaching K-12 students about the impact and mechanics of social media In Proceedings of the 19th WiPSCE Conference on Primary and Secondary Computing Education Research Poster
Davies, S. M.; Seitamaa-Hakkarainen, P.; Hakkarainen, K 2024 Knowledge Creation through Maker Practices and the Role of Teacher and Peer Support in Collaborative Invention Projects International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 19, 283-310 A1
Davies, S 2024 Making Knowledge: Knowledge creation through collaborative invention in lower secondary education [Doctoral dissertation, University of Helsinki] G5
Davies, S.; Seitamaa-Hakkarainen, P 2024 Research On K-12 Maker Education in the Early 2020s - A Systematic Literature Review International Journal of Technology and Design Education A1
Lindroos-Hovinheimo, S 2024 Automaattisen paatoksenteon maaritelma laajenee - Euroopan unionin ensimmaiset tuomiot tietosuoja-asetuksen 22 artiklasta Lakimies 3-4/2024, 537-544 B1
Lindroos-Hovinheimo, S 2024 Lyhyt johdatus unionin tekoalyasetukseen In Puheenvuoroja sananvapaudesta: Viestintaoikeuden vuosikirja 2023, pp. 67-76. Forum Iuris B2
Lindroos-Hovinheimo, S 2023 Euroopan unionin tuomioistuimen punnintaa yksityisyydesta ja julkisuudesta In Vapaita sanoja: Viestintaoikeuden vuosikirja 2022, Vol. 20, pp. 94-105. Forum Iuris B2c
Vartiainen, H.; Liukkonen, P.; Tedre, M 2024 Emerging human-technology relationships in a co-design process with generative AI Thinking Skills and Creativity 56 (2025) A1
Lin, A.; Salonen, A.; Pope, N.; Vartiainen, H.; Tedre, M 2025 A Versatile Low-Cost Kit for Teaching Novice Learners AI Using Robotics Components And a No-Code Development Playground Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence 2025 A4
Pope, N.; Kahila, J.; Vartiainen, H.; Saqr, M.; Lopez-Pernas, S.; Roos, T.; Laru, J.; Tedre, M 2025 An XAI Social Media Platform for Teaching K-12 Students AI-Driven Profiling, Clustering, and Engagement-Based Recommending Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence 2025 A4
Pope, N.; Kahila, J.; Vartiainen, H.; Tedre, M 2025 Children's AI Design Platform for Making and Deploying ML-Driven Apps: Design, Testing, and Development IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies A1
Lopez-Pernas, S.; Saqr, M.; Conde, M. A.; Apiola, M.; Tedre, M 2025 Mapping computer engineering education research: A topic analysis Computer, 58(1), 66-75 A1
Pope, N.; Tedre, M.; Lin, A.; Kahila, J.; Vartiainen, H.; Roos, T.; Laru, J 2025 Pre-service teachers' experiences with using an (X)AI education tool for teaching social media mechanisms In Proceedings of the 2025 EdMedia World Conference on Educational Technology, Barcelona, Spain. AACE, pp. 1067-1076 A4
Vartiainen, H.; Vaha, Eliisa; Tedre, M 2025 Integrating AI Education into Democracy Education Classes Facilitates Critical AI Literacy Among Pre-Service Teachers In Proceedings of the 2025 EdMedia World Conference on Educational Technology, Barcelona, Spain. AACE, pp. 495-501 A4
Silvennoinen, E.; Valtonen, T.; Tedre, M 2025 Balancing Children's Rights and Educational Objectives in K-12 Classroom Technology In Proceedings of the 2025 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference, London, UK. IEEE A4
Faisal, K 2024 Book Review: Gianclaudio Malgieri, Vulnerability and Data Protection Law 1st edn. Oxford University Press, 2023. Tidskrift utgiven av juridiska foreningen i Finland, (1-2), pp. 99-109 B1
Laru, J.; Celik, I.; Kivioja, I.; Makitalo, K 2024 Learning AI Literacy in Collaborative Projects with an AI Education Tool by Making Machine-Learning-Driven Apps: A Case Study from Finnish Pre-service Teacher Education In Effective Practices in AI Literacy Education: Case Studies and Reflections, pp. 141-149 A3
Laru, J.; Celik, I.; Jokela, I.; Makitalo, K 2025 The antecedents of pre-service teachers' AI literacy: perceptions about own AI driven applications, attitude towards AI and knowledge in machine learning European Journal of Teacher Education, 48(5), 964-986 A1
Laru, J.; Celik, I.; Kivioja, I.; Makitalo, K 2025 Pre-service teachers' profiles from ML knowledge and AI attitude: Relations with AI Literacy EARLI 2025. Graz, Austria A4
Celik, I.; Naykki, P.; Laru, J.; Siklander, P.; Makitalo, K 2025 Improving AI-related knowledge and skills in teacher education: A synthesis of empirical research Symposium at EARLI 2025. Graz, Austria A4
Laru, J.; Makitatalo, K.; Iwata, M.; Merikanto-Tolonen, S.; Celik, I 2025 Teachable machine and social media emulator Somekone - tools for K9 students to learn about AI Demo session. EARLI 2025. Graz, Austria A4
Laru, J 2025 Tekoalytaitojen opettaminen Generation AI -sovellusten avulla Tekoalyopas opettajille. Faktabaari B2
Laru, J 2025 Generation AI -projekti Tekoalyopas opettajille. Faktabaari B2
Schulte, C.; Sentance, S.; Sparmann, S.; Altin, R.; Friebroon-Yesharim, M.; Landman, M.; Rucker, M. T.; Satavlekar, S.; Siegel, A.; Tedre, M.; Tubino, L.; Vartiainen, H.; Velazquez-Iturbide, J. A.; Waite, J.; Wu, Z 2025 What we talk about when we talk about K-12 computing education In 2024 Working Group Reports on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, ITiCSE 2024, pp. 226-257 A4
Pope, N.; Sormunen, M.; Silvennoinen, E.; Tedre, M 2025 Design and Development of Educational Technology for K-12 AI Education in the Classroom: A Child Rights Based Approach Proceedings of MIPRO 2025, Croatia. IEEE A4
Pope, N.; Kuismin, M.; Arkko, E.; Vartiainen, H.; Kahila, J.; Tedre, M 2025 WIP: eXplainable AI Is Not Self-Explainable: Findings from Design-Based K-12 AI Education Proceedings of FIE 2025, USA. IEEE A4
Vartiainen, H.; Kahila, J.; Pope, N.; Lopez-Pernas, S.; Valtonen, T.; Tedre, M 2025 Long-term Impacts of K-12 AI Education Interventions on Social Media Mechanisms Proceedings of FIE 2025, USA. IEEE A4
Kahila, J.; Lin, A.; Arkko, E 2025 How We Taught Social Media Mechanics and Societal Impacts to over 200 Schoolchildren Proceedings of EdMedia 2025, Spain. AACE Poster
Makelin, M.; Silvennoinen, E.; Makitalo, K. (eds.) 2025 50 myyttia tekoalysta ja datasta Vastapaino E3
Kafai, Y.; Shapiro, R. B.; Jetzinger, F.; Michaeli, T.; Tedre, M.; Vartiainen, H.; Iivari, N.; Musaeus, L. H.; Iversen, O. S.; Ali, S.; Bodon, H.; Butler, M.; Kshirsagar, K.; Smith, M.; Quiterio, A.; Worsley, V.; Kumar, M.; Morales-Navarro, L.; Noh, D. J 2025 Youth as Designers of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Technologies: What Do We Know About the Opportunities and Challenges of K-12 Students Creating Their Own Applications? Proceedings of the International Conference of the Learning Sciences A4
Tedre, M.; Vartiainen, H 2025 Generation AI: Pedagogical Frameworks and Tools for AI Education Symposium on Integrating AI and Data Science into School Education Across Disciplines, AIDEA 2025 A4
Vartiainen, H.; Tedre, M 2025 The CEDE Model: A Learning-Sciences Based Approach for Critical and Transformative K-12 AI Education Proceedings of Koli Calling 2025 A4
Hilke, O.; Pope, N.; Kahila, J.; Vartiainen, H.; Roos, T.; Parkki, T.; Tedre, M 2025 Failure as a Learning Opportunity in AI Literacy Proceedings of Koli Calling 2025 Poster
Pope, N.; Tedre, M 2025 A Teachable Machine for Transformers Proceedings of Koli Calling 2025 Poster
Vartiainen, H.; Tedre, M 2025 Towards transformative AI education through cross-boundary co-design Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Smart Learning Environments A4
Pope, N.; Lopez-Pernas, S.; Saqr, M.; Tedre, M 2025 How to Train Your Own Language Model in the Browser: Learning by Doing Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Smart Learning Environments A4
Iwata, Megumi; Merikanto-Tolonen, Sanna; Laru, Jari; Mäkitalo, Kati 2025 An Explainable AI Tools for K-12 Classroom: Generation AI Teachable Machine Proceedings : annual meeting of the international society of the learning sciences B3
Davies, Sini; Faisal, Kamrul; Grohn, Tommi; Honkela, Antti; Iwata, Megumi; Kangas, Kaiju; Laru, Jari; Merikanto-Tolonen, Sanna; Makelin, Marianne; Makitalo, Kati; Roos, Teemu; Snell, Karoliina; Sormunen, Kati; Tedre, Matti; Ylikoski, Petri 2025 Mika tekoaly? 50 Myyttiä tekoälystä ja datasta E1
Iwata, Megumi; Kahila, Juho; Laru, Jari; Lehto, Iiris; Lindroos-Hovinheimo, Susanna; Merikanto-Tolonen, Sanna; Makitalo, Kati; Pietarinen, Tarja Hannele; Roos, Teemu; Silvennoinen, Elisa; Snell, Karoliina; Sormunen, Milka 2025 Tekoaly ja data ihmisten arjessa 50 Myyttiä tekoälystä ja datasta E1
Alastalo, Marja; Faisal, Kamrul; Iisakka, Essi; Iwata, Megumi; Laru, Jari; Lehto, Iiris; Merikanto-Tolonen, Sanna; Makelin, Marianne; Makitalo, Kati; Tedre, Matti; Vartiainen, Henriikka; Vesikukka, Teppo Pentti Johannes 2025 Mita tekoalylla ja datalla tehdaan? 50 Myyttiä tekoälystä ja datasta E1
Celik, Ismail; Kontkanen, Sini; Laru, Jari; Dalyanci, Alanur Ahsen 2026 Co-constructing adaptive lesson plans with GenAI: Pre-service teachers' Intelligent-TPACK and prompt engineering strategies Computers and education A1
Laru, Jari; Mäkitalo, Kati; Tedre, Matti; Valtonen, Teemu; Vartiainen, Henriikka 2026 Ohjelmoinnista ohjelmoinnilliseen ajatteluun ja tekoälytaitojen edistämiseen Esi- ja alkuopetuksen käsikirja D2
Apiola, M.; Pope, N. 2025 Imagined futures of social media recommendation innovations: A systematic review of patents First Monday, 30(8) A2
Magoge, P. S.; Sanusi, I. T.; Suhonen, J.; Pope, N.; Mwandosya, G. I. 2025 Teaching and Learning of Social Media Algorithms in the K-12 Context: A Systematic Review IEEE Access, 13, 199454-199473 A2
Albadarin, Y.; Saqr, M.; Pope, N.; Tukiainen, M. 2024 A systematic literature review of empirical research on ChatGPT in education Discover Education, 3, Article 60 A2
Koivulehto, Matias; Lehtimaki, Tomi 2025 Epistemic struggles in legislating animal welfare in Finland: competing constructions of the public interest Journal of Law and Society, 52(4), 628-649 A1
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