By Mark Swatz

As the pace of product development for AI-powered toys accelerates, controversy — and warnings — about the appropriateness of these products for young children have left many parents and educators tempted to tune out or opt out. But as kids interact with AI more regularly, some experts say it’s important to teach kids what’s actually behind AI and how to use it responsibly. 

In an interview with Mark Swartz, Sliwinski explains his role, the evolution of the curriculum and his hopes for AI more broadly. 

What do you do at Lego Education?

My team is responsible for product strategy, design, engineering and, most importantly, the educational impact of our product. So really the development of our learning experiences from end to end. Lego stole me from the MIT Media Lab, where I worked on creative tools for children for many years, including, most notably, Scratch, which is a programming language for kids.