Can AI improve my parenting?
I have to say that as the parent who walked the kids to school every morning, I cherished that time and stretched it out well beyond the point where they wanted their dad accompanying them. The idea that you would lazily trade away storytime or conversation to some AI model is so entirely bonkers. Trust me, Sam, these are the times you miss when they are gone. Talking with your kids and teaching them how to converse, those are some of the best bits.
We have, of course, all had times when we just want a bit of breathing space. I admit that in my more harassed moments I may have bought myself 30 minutes by sitting the spawn down in front of a Baby Mozart DVD. It was part of a series called Baby Einstein, specifically designed to ease the guilt of parents who felt bad about parking their kids in front of the telly, by suggesting you were really improving their brain power rather than just buying yourself a quiet cup of tea. The various videos, Baby Bach, Baby Beethoven, Baby Backstreet Boys (well, maybe not) paired stimulating patterns with great music to bring out your child’s inner genius. Reader, I’m not sure it worked.
So I can empathise with the notion of any parent taking a quick break to retreat into their den, garden or head. But what is disconcerting about this particular case is the mindset of the man who thinks it’s a “cool use”. Much of the public promotion of AI, when you strip it back, is of the “you don’t have to bother with this any more”. Be it research, data analytics, coding, medical breakthroughs or overseeing the nation’s nuclear deterrent.
