Over the past year, The Safe AI for Children Alliance has developed from a small initiative into an internationally recognised organisation contributing to conversations about AI risks affecting children.

We’ve collaborated with educators, policymakers, AI researchers, safeguarding professionals and parents. We’ve joined cross-sector initiatives, contributed to policy discussions, and welcomed supporters who share the conviction that children must remain central as artificial intelligence advances.

As this work has expanded, we have taken time to reflect on how we articulate our purpose and approach.

Artificial intelligence systems are becoming more capable and more embedded in everyday life. As their influence grows, organisations working in this field carry a responsibility to communicate their scope and priorities with precision.

This month, we have updated our About page to more clearly reflect the direction SAIFCA has taken during its first year.

The core of our mission remains the same: to protect children from the risks posed by artificial intelligence — both today and as increasingly powerful AI systems shape the world they will inherit.

What has evolved is the clarity with which we express that commitment.

Bringing the Full Picture Into View

Public discussion about AI often separates critical immediate harms — such as online exploitation, unsafe interactions and privacy breaches — from longer-term risks associated with increasingly capable AI systems.

For children, these dynamics are intertwined.

The systems entering classrooms, homes and digital spaces today form part of a wider technological trajectory. Governance decisions made now will influence the society children grow into and the conditions into which future generations are born.

Our updated About page makes this relationship more explicit.

Protecting children requires practical safeguarding in the present alongside responsible foresight about the direction of technological development.

Strengthening the Foundation

During our first year, one theme has become increasingly clear: AI safety for children extends beyond technical questions and beyond conventional online safety frameworks.

It also concerns governance.

It involves standards, accountability, institutional responsibility and public awareness. It requires coordination across sectors — including educators, policymakers, researchers, safeguarding professionals, parents and others whose decisions shape children’s environments.

SAIFCA exists to support that coordination.

We have refined our language to reflect this structural focus. Our work remains measured and evidence-informed, grounded in proportionate safeguards and a commitment to long-term resilience.

An Alliance by Design

From the outset, SAIFCA has been structured as an alliance.

This means bringing together expertise from different fields, encouraging cross-sector dialogue, and building shared recognition of AI-related risks affecting children. It means strengthening collective responsibility across institutions and communities.

Over the past year, our volunteers, supporters and wider community - and newly formed International Advisory Board - have played an important role in shaping this direction. Their insight and engagement have helped ensure that SAIFCA’s development remains thoughtful and grounded.

Looking Ahead

Artificial intelligence will continue to evolve, and its integration into daily life will deepen.

Children deserve steady, thoughtful protection within that changing environment.

As SAIFCA moves into its second year, we remain focused on keeping children at the centre of discussions about AI risk — ensuring their safety, development and long-term well-being remain priorities as technology advances.

Our Year 2 strategy will be published shortly, outlining the next phase of this work and the practical steps we will take to strengthen safeguarding, governance engagement and cross-sector coordination.

We are grateful to everyone who has supported SAIFCA during its first year, and we look forward to continuing this work together!

The Safe AI for Children Alliance is a registered Community Interest Company (CIC), operating as a non-profit organisation dedicated to public benefit.

Thank you for being part of the Safe AI for Children Alliance.