As voice-based Conversational Assistants (CAs), including Alexa, Siri, Google Home, have become commonly embedded in households, many children now routinely interact with Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems. It is important to research children's experiences with consumer devices which use AI techniques because these shape their understanding of AI and its capabilities. We conducted a mixed-methods study (questionnaires and interviews) with primary-school children aged 6-11 in Scotland to establish children's understanding of how voice-based CAs work, how they perceive their cognitive abilities, agency and other human-like qualities, their awareness and trust of privacy aspects when using CAs and what they perceive as appropriate verbal interactions with CAs. Most children overestimated the CAs' intelligence and were uncertain about the systems' feelings or agency. They also lacked accurate understanding of data privacy and security aspects, and believed it was wrong to be rude to conversational assistants. Exploring children's current understanding of AI-supported technology has educational implications; such findings will enable educators to develop appropriate materials to address the pressing need for AI literacy.

翻译：随着基于语音的对话助手（CA）——包括Alexa、Siri、Google Home——已普遍嵌入家庭，许多儿童现在常规性地与人工智能系统互动。研究儿童使用采用AI技术的消费设备的体验至关重要，因为这些体验塑造了他们对AI及其能力的理解。我们在苏格兰对6-11岁小学生进行了一项混合方法研究（问卷与访谈），以揭示儿童对语音CA工作原理的理解、他们如何感知这些系统的认知能力、自主性及其他类人特质、对隐私方面的认知与信任度、以及他们认为何为与CA的适当口头互动。大多数儿童高估了CA的智能，对系统的情感或自主性不确定，且缺乏对数据隐私与安全方面的准确理解，并认为对对话助手无礼是不对的。探究儿童当前对AI支持技术的理解具有教育意义；此类发现将帮助教育工作者开发适宜教材，以满足提升AI素养的迫切需求。