AI‑BASED VOICE ASSISTANTS IN FAMILIES WITH PRESCHOOL‑AGE CHILDREN: RISKS OF A DEFICIT IN THE EMOTIONAL TRANSMISSION OF FAIRY‑TALE NARRATIVE

Abstract

This article is devoted to studying the development of emotional intelligence in preschool‑age children when conveying a fairy‑tale narrative using an AI‑based voice assistant. The scientific novelty of the study lies in examining the interaction between preschool‑age children and voice assistants and identifying the specific features of emotional intelligence development, using the example of conveying a fairy‑tale narrative. The article is based on a systematic review of Russian and foreign studies on the impact of digital technologies and AI assistants on preschool‑age children. To explore the topic, the authors examine such aspects as the impact of gadgets on preschoolers, the popularity of voice assistants and smart speakers in Russia and China, the formation of children’s attachment to AI assistants, and the ways in which they interact – including the potential for misunderstanding of children’s speech and the impossibility of emotional engagement with a voice assistant. The authors then delve into such concepts as emotional intelligence, fairy tales, and fairy‑tale narratives. Drawing on the Federal Educational Programme, they provide examples of fairy tales for constructing fairy‑tale narratives according to age categories: early childhood, junior preschool age, middle childhood, and older childhood. As a result of the study, the main conclusion is that it is impossible to develop a preschooler’s emotional intelligence by replacing the parent’s voice with the voice of an AI assistant when reading fairy tales and conveying the fairy‑tale narrative. The possible consequences of delegating the role of storyteller of the fairy‑tale narrative to a voice assistant are reflected at the end of the study. The main conclusion is the importance of parental presence and emotional engagement in explaining important topics through the form of a fairy‑tale narrative in order to properly develop emotional intelligence and strengthen the bond between parent and child.