We want to address some of your concerns about the new Terms of Service.

 

We use aggregated and anonymized data to better understand what is working about Scratch (and what is not), not to gather any information about any individual. The information Scratch collects will not include names or personal details, and it isn’t–and won’t be–used to identify individual Scratchers.

 

Having a view of the community’s experience as a whole helps us make the community and platform better for you: whether you’re brand new or you’ve been making projects for years. When we started brainstorming what AI might look like on Scratch, we created a set of Guiding Stars and Lines in the Sand. We want to share them with you here:

 

Guiding Stars

Our “Guiding Stars” shape the design of AI features:

 

• Creativity: Empower kids’ self-expression
• Agency: Keep power and choice in kids’ hands
• Equity: Make it free, fair, inclusive, and accessible
• Community: Emphasize human connection and collaboration

 

Lines in the Sand

Our “Lines in the Sand” are boundaries we set for the responsible use of AI in Scratch:

 

• Safe: Prevent harmful content
• Ethical: Protect children’s data
• Transparent: Share information about how it works
• Human-Centered: Never undermine human agency or relationships

 

We also want to assure you that right now, we are not training any AI models on Scratchers’ data. Our work in this space is still in progress and as we iterate and improve our approach to AI, we want to hear from you. We will create opportunities to invite our community to test and provide feedback on AI-powered features as we design them, and you are always invited to send your thoughts to us; we read every message, and we are listening. Like everything at Scratch, we’re building these new features with you in mind, and doing our best to keep Scratch a safe, fun place for you to create what you imagine.

 

We’re looking forward to sharing more with you soon.

 

Scratch On!

The Scratch Team