Children must be equipped to think critically and question assumptions as artificial intelligence reshapes their lives, Dr. Esra Albayrak, chair of the board of the NUN Education and Culture Foundation, said Thursday during a panel at the World Summit on Investing in Children’s Well-being in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
“We must have the courage to question the assumptions considered self-evident in the age of artificial intelligence and make decisions that serve humanity’s best interests. What are AI algorithms achieving? Whose language and whose data are they using to think? These are questions we must ask,” Albayrak said.
Drawing on the region's intellectual heritage, Albayrak highlighted the historic knowledge corridor connecting Istanbul, Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand, saying its legacy should inspire solutions to contemporary challenges.
She cited Ali Qushji, a student of astronomer Ulugh Beg, as an example of the importance of challenging established beliefs. At a time when the Earth was widely assumed to be stationary, Qushji questioned that view, demonstrating how examining accepted assumptions could advance scientific knowledge.
Albayrak said the same approach was essential in social sciences and policymaking, particularly when addressing children's well-being.
“Imagine three children in the same classroom, all of whom appear withdrawn. One may have experienced peer bullying, another may have been exposed to screens excessively and without supervision, while another may be struggling with financial hardship or have been subjected to violence,” she said, stressing that each child required a different response.
She urged social scientists to examine multiple causes rather than rely on ready-made answers.
Albayrak said children's well-being should encompass their physical, mental, spiritual and moral development, supported by healthy relationships with their families and society.
She challenged the longstanding assumption in modern pedagogy that a child's mind was a blank slate, noting that developmental science shows newborns can recognize their mothers' voices and distinguish the rhythm of their mother tongue.
“Our intellectual tradition calls this fitrah,” she said, referring to the Islamic concept of an innate human disposition.
Warning that digital technologies increasingly challenge children's relationships and well-being, Albayrak said social media had created an illusion of connection while weakening genuine relationships.
“Now, in the second phase, we are discussing artificial intelligence,” she said, adding that protecting children should mean equipping them to navigate risks rather than shielding them from every challenge.
She emphasized the importance of early childhood investment and systematic thinking education, saying children should learn to compare and classify information, provide reasoning and ask the right questions.
“Having the capacity to think does not guarantee that it will be used well,” she said.
Albayrak said children naturally question the world around them, but adults often suppress this curiosity over time.
She called for greater courage in challenging assumptions about AI and ensuring technology serves humanity's interests.
“The children of Gaza, Lebanon and Myanmar are expecting precisely this from us today. They expect us to question together the terrible assumptions that prevent people from meeting one another as equals and legitimize the unjust exercise of power. The world’s children expect Ali Qushji’s courage from us,” she said.
