By India McCarty
AI programs might seem to know everything, but it looks like they might have met their match in Gen Alpha.
“This research provides the first systematic evaluation of how AI safety systems interpret Gen Alpha’s unique digital communication patterns,” the study, published by ACM’s Digital Library, shared.
The study discovered something pretty significant — there were “gaps” between Gen Alpha’s slang and AI’s understanding of it. For example, the popular phrase “let him cook” can be used in a supportive manner and also in a mocking way. AI programs can’t tell the difference between the intended meaning.
“AI systems should enhance human moderation, particularly for Gen Alpha content where context and rapidly evolving meanings are critical,” the study recommended. “This is the direction of our future work.”
AI struggles at content moderation for Gen Alpha. https://t.co/2DPDKMKqvi
— Mashable (@mashable) June 25, 2025
The AI chatbots aren’t the only ones that have trouble keeping up with Gen Alpha’s slang. New Scientist reported on a survey done by Manisha Mehta, a 14-year-old student at Warren E. Hyde Middle School in Cupertino, California, and Fausto Giunchiglia at the University of Trento, Italy.
“I’ve always been kind of fascinated by Gen Alpha language, because it’s just so unique, the way things become relevant and lose relevancy so fast, and it’s so rapid,” Mehta said.
Related: Should Parents Worry About Gen Alpha’s Slang? Experts Say…
They quizzed both AI programs and parents and other adults on whether or not they understood a Gen Alpha word or phrase, specifically when it could be used in a bullying way. AI models recognized potential bullying in around four out of 10 cases. Parents only recognized it about a third of the time.
“I expected a bit more comprehension than we found,” Mehta said of the results. “It was mostly just guesswork on the parents’ side.”
Carolina Estevez, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist at SOBA New Jersey, spoke to Parents.com about Gen Alpha slang, saying, “Kids have always echoed what they hear — TV jingles, cartoon voices, movie lines. TikTok, YouTube, and memes are exposed to more language trends, making it easier for those phrases to catch on quickly.”
She also told parents not to worry if their child seems to use lots of slang, noting, “For many kids, it is just a fun, harmless way to engage with what they have seen or heard.”
While AI models’ inability to recognize the true meaning of some Gen Alpha slang makes content moderation a little harder, it’s nice to know there are some things even AI can’t explain.
Read Next: Is Your Kid Speaking Italian? Nope. It’s Just Gen Alpha’s Latest Brainrot.
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