According to tech “visionary” Elon Musk, “Generative AI is the most powerful tool for creativity that has ever been created. It has the potential to unleash a new era of human innovation.”
Of course, artificial intelligence, or AI, isn’t as bad as some are making out, and what some industry insiders are proposing is speculation and pretty much science fiction. There may well be a day when AI advances to be a threat, but for now, AI in parenting, teaching, and lifestyle is just a valuable tool. A somewhat advanced tool, but still a piece of software nonetheless.
AI Is Not a Substitute for a Human
There have been many rapid advancements in artificial intelligence over the past few years. However, it is easy to get caught up in the hype. AI is impressive, but it isn’t really intelligent. In fact, it mimics human intelligence. Sometimes, well, and others, not so much. So, are AI systems a threat, and will chatbot software replace humans? No, not really. AI is a valuable tool, but it doesn’t have the power to replace a human parent for many of the things a child needs.
AI in Parenting is Doing the Job
Even for teachers, AI isn’t on the agenda. A study in the UK by Barnardo found that 95% of teachers have no training in using AI at all. However, how you use AI is really up to you. As a parent, there are many ways you can use AI to your advantage, such as the following:
- You can use AI virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri for simple things like reminders.
- Chatbots are excellent for suggesting things to do, such as indoor games and puzzles.
- Specific AI tools are available to track the development of your children.
- You can use AI to translate words and overcome language barriers as an educator.
- Automation is a popular tool for doing repeated tasks for you, saving a lot of time.
Virtual assistants such as Alexa are widely available and easy to use, and they can act as extensions of your smartphone. Tracking how your children develop helps understand what they need. Certain tools make this much easier. With parenting to do, automation is a valuable ally.
There Won’t Be Any AI Teachers
There are some uses of AI in the classroom. But for now and the foreseeable future, teachers are just too valuable to even think about replacing with AI. Of course, AI tools can help children engage and learn. But even then, some of the data an AI tool such as ChatGPT provides is questionable as an aggregate of data sourced from the web. You see, all these tools do is do a massive web search and present the data in a format based on natural language models.
The Use of AI Isn’t Making Kids Stupid
Technology doesn’t make children stupid. As we grow, we take in everything around us. Children are hypersensitive to just about everything as their neurons fire at a much higher speed than adults and they have a lot more. Today, there are highly useful AI-powered toys that are helping with child development. These include PopBots and COSMO. These are programmable social AI toys and can help kids learn as they play through interaction.
There are No Future Jobs Because of AI
This is one of the biggest misconceptions about AI systems. Yes, there are some jobs that will be replaced by AI. However, these are typically manual, repetitive jobs. It would be naive to think greedy companies wouldn’t replace as many humans as they can. Yet the advantage of this means the AI field will create jobs in engineering, IT and networking. They will also need to be logistically managed. You may not think so, but there is a limit to what AI systems can do.
Children Will Act Like Machines
Children are vulnerable to everything around them. As you will be aware, kids often mimic others, such as the mannerisms of parents. So, it is reasonable to assume that children could become like robots if they interact with robots! But this is highly unlikely. In fact, new AI toys and apps can recognize and react to emotions. This is intentional, as toys like COSMO have been developed to socialize children and engage them in a similar way as humans would.
AI in Parenting Negatively Impacts Kids
This is a complete falsehood. There are many things that can negatively impact a child’s development, but AI isn’t one of them. In fact, quite the opposite is true, as many parents and teachers find AI to be a valuable tool in aiding with the early development of children.
Does AI increase laziness in kids?
No, not really. In fact,it is adults that are more likely to be lazy because of reliance on AI. For example, recent findings show that almost 70% of adults rely on AI to make privacy decisions.
Is technology making kids lazy?
Using some technology can instill laziness in children, but not AI. For instance, too much screen time, such as playing video games, can disrupt the brain’s natural dopamine reward system.
Does AI negatively affect child development?
No, there is no evidence for this. In fact, AI is actively being used as a tool by parents and educators alike to improve cognitive, language and social skills as children grow and play.
Can AI replace parents?
No. An AI system is never a replacement for human contact. While there are many excellent uses of AI as an aid in education, planning, and ideation, it is not as capable as a human.
So, are kids happier without technology?
We can all do a digital detox now and then. Studies have found that teens are happier when taking a break, but this is usually cited alongside the modern day pressures of social media.
There’s No Privacy in the Home Anymore
How private your children and your home are really comes down to you. No, seriously. As a parent, you have a responsibility to protect your children. There are always privacy concerns around technology. However, every manufacturer of a product that uses data has to, by law, implement opt-in features. For example, there are always settings for what data is collected, parental controls for interactions with children, and legal agreements as to the data provided.
Children Are Too Dependant on Tech
Since the invention of the wheel, we have been dependent on technology as a species! Today, not much has changed. We just have more advanced systems and use tech more to aid with our daily tasks. As a parent, the onus is in you to control how much your children engage with technology such as smartphones and AI systems. Most people are aware of the benefits and disadvantages of children using technology, so you must make decisions as a parent.
AI Tools are Being Used by All Kids
This is not true at all. Like phones, laptops, and even the internet, not every child has access to the tools that can help them. AI tools and tech are highly beneficial for children to learn. Studies have shown that AI disparity is a real thing. Children with less access to AI tools, such as those from less fortunate backgrounds, don’t perform as well at school. Conversely, children with access to these things often perform at a much higher level because of the benefits.
AI Does Not Encourage Cheating
You may have heard stories about kids using tools like ChatGPT to do the work for them. And it’s true that some students have used this and similar tools. Some children don’t see the value in doing their own work and will take the path of least resistance. However, studies have shown that when AI-detection tools are used in schools and colleges, the issue is that original work has a high chance of being flagged as AI-generated. In short, these tools aren’t good enough yet.
AI in Parenting as a Homeschooler is Complicated
Using tech can be as complex or as easy as you would like. If you haven’t learned how to use a tool, it can be challenging. However, In the US, only 18% of teachers use AI in the classroom. As a parent, you can use AI as a home educator to assist with many things for the children.
Adaptive learning platforms
Popular platforms such as Khan Academy offer intuitive dashboards for you and the children. With these tools, you can go through exercises and videos and set curriculums with no effort.
Plagiarism detection
Some children have been known to cheat now and then! With tools such as Turnitin, you can automate the grading of work and check for plagiarism as well as misunderstanding in work.
Tracking performance
Analytics are a popular way to manage just about anything these days. AI analytics tools such as BrightBytes Clarity help you track student performance and even spot gaps in understanding.
AI Isn’t Really What You Might Think
Stephen Hawking stated that “AI will either be the best thing that’s ever happened to us, or it will be the worst thing. If we’re not careful, it very well may be the last thing.” People in these positions must state the truth as we know it, rather than be fearmongers. The fact is we haven’t achieved real AI yet and likely never will. AI, as we know it today, is a somewhat arbitrary impression of human intelligence that uses natural language models, not metal skeletons!
Summary
A human parent can’t be substituted when it comes to AI in parenting and teaching. Even though we use AI tools extensively today, there is no real negative issue when used correctly. Far from metal skeletons and extinction, AI today simply mimics humans for interaction.
