Your Royal Highness, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen – of all ages … it is encouraging to see the younger generation represented here today.

We are living in one of the most transformative periods in human history. Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept. It is already embedded in how our children play, learn, communicate, and understand the world.

It is a powerful, inevitable, and undeniably valuable tool. But, if left unchecked, it can also be harmful. 

Before we turn to the opportunities and challenges of tomorrow’s technology, I would like to take a moment to step back. 

Human beings have always sought the truth. 
Since the ancient Greeks, the distinction between reality and perception has been closely examined. And one question, in particular, has endured:

If our senses can deceive us, can we ever be certain that we perceive reality as it truly is?

One of the most powerful illustrations of this fundamental philosophical question is Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. Many of you will be familiar with it, but for those who are not, let me give you a brief recap. 

Imagine a group of people who their entire lives have been held captive in a cave with chains around their necks and ankles.

They are being forced to face a wall and cannot turn their heads to see one another – or even themselves.

Behind them burns a fire. Between the fire and the prisoners is a raised walkway, along which people pass by carrying objects and figures.

The prisoners can only see the shadows cast on the wall in front of them. And so, they come to believe that these shadows are reality – the only reality they have ever known.

So, how is this relevant to keeping children safe in the AI era?

Today, we are witnessing a generation of children and young people who are increasingly glued to screens, bombarded with contents of uncertain and questionable origin.

Many digital platforms and AI systems are designed to maximise engagement. Endless scrolling, constant notifications, and highly personalised algorithms are engineered to keep children online for as long as possible.

In that sense, Plato’s chains have been replaced by something less visible, but still very powerful: the addictive pull of digital stimulation. 

Although children and young people seemingly move effortlessly between the digital and the physical world, the former shapes the latter. 

When they are constantly exposed to other people’s carefully curated – and often manipulated – lives and looks, their own may begin to feel dull and inadequate.

With AI-generated images and videos, the line between what is real and what is not is becoming increasingly blurred. Children – and the rest of us for that matter – are, in effect, being deliberately deceived.

And when convincing AI companions offer friendship, advice, and emotional support, it can be tempting to turn to them as trusted confidants.

But they are not human. They have no lived experience, no genuine emotions, no moral judgement, and no true empathy. And if we begin to mistake machines for people, we risk being left in the dark.

With that said, AI also holds immense promise. 

It can expand access to knowledge, enhance learning, and unlock creativity in ways we have never seen before. The goal, therefore, is not to halt innovation – but to guide it responsibly with the safety of children in mind. 

The digital world has already become a defining part of today’s childhood. The question is not whether our children will grow up with AI – they will.

The question is whether they will grow up protected, informed, and free to thrive – both online and offline.

For more than 80 years, Save the Children Denmark has worked to ensure that we can answer that question with a confident yes. A mission I am proud to support as their patron.

The AI era can be one of chains and shadows, or one of autonomy and enlightenment.

Let’s choose wisely – and keep our children safe. 
Thank you.

(Det talte ord gælder)