Early user test of a persistent AI narrative system with kids — some unexpected engagement patterns
I ran a small real-world test today with two kids (ages 8 and 11) using a long-running AI story world I’ve been experimenting with. Instead of one-shot story generation, the system maintains a persistent world state where choices carry over and shape future events. I let them pick the setting — they chose a Minecraft × Harry Potter mashup where they play wizards trying to defeat the Ender Dragon. One thing that made a huge difference: I used their real names as the characters, and the story started in their actual school. The engine generated story text and illustrations each round. They made all the choices. After about 10 rounds, they were constantly laughing, debating which option to pick, and building on each other’s ideas. It felt much more like co-creating a world than listening to a...








