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Our first priorities

Three areas of focus in the summer of 2026
A team at work, looking at sticky notes

By Geoffrey A. Fowler

 

Hello world! The Youth AI Safety Institute is up and running. In our first summer, here’s what we’re focused on:

  • Continuing evaluations: We’re conducting a new risk assessment of AI search services, one of the AI tools kids use most. Our dedicated band of evaluators, child development experts and mental health experts are back hammering some apps we've previously assessed to stay on top of how the products have changed.

  • Building standards: We’ve begun working with our advisory board and partners on a first draft of standards for AI youth safety focused on the most severe harms. And we’re having conversations with expert groups and practitioners to figure out who else should be at the table. (If you’d like to connect, drop us an email at ai@commonsense.org.) We’re working toward bringing a bigger group together on standards in the late summer or fall.

  • Laying groundwork for automation: So far, our AI product testing has been run by people. We’re working with new technical partners including Transluce and Humane Intelligence to translate our standards and rubrics into automated evaluations.