How designers craft memorable characters

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Dr. Sonia Tiwari is a Children's Media Researcher focused on how characters shape learning experiences. With a background spanning animation, game design, and a PhD in Learning Design & Technology, she advises edtech and media companies on ethical, developmentally aligned character design. Her work has been featured at Stanford, Harvard, MIT, UNICEF, and the National Geographic Society.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. How AI changes children’s relationships with characters.
2. What makes character design effective across media and education.
3. The risks and guardrails needed for AI companions.
4. How to use AI to support—rather than replace—creativity.
5. What ethical, developmentally aligned AI design looks like.

✨ Episode Highlights:
[00:00:00] Why children instinctively learn through stories and characters.
[00:02:03] How character design works in animation, games, and learning.
[00:07:14] The overlap and tension between entertainment and educational media.
[00:14:35] What happens when beloved characters become interactive AI.
[00:17:33] Turning existing IP into AI-native characters.
[00:21:00] Why interaction length and purpose matter for children's AI use.
[00:29:23] Why design is the fastest path to safer AI for kids.
[00:31:33] How AI tools can self-regulate for young learners.
[00:36:29] Whether entertainment characters can power better edtech.
[00:40:23] Using AI to enhance—not bypass—creative development.
[00:45:39] Teens creating AI characters and the potential risks.
[00:49:18] A framework for deciding when AI is actually needed.
[00:50:11] How industry–academia collaboration could raise quality in edtech.

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This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Cooley LLP. Cooley is the go-to law firm for education and edtech innovators, offering industry-informed counsel across the 'pre-K to gray' spectrum. With a multidisciplinary approach and a powerful edtech ecosystem, Cooley helps shape the future of education.

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