Parenting doesn’t come with a manual but now some moms and dads are turning to AI

Artificial intelligence has now become a part of our lives. After years of hearing it was just around the corner, well, it’s here, and in a big way.

People around the globe have jumped at the chance to use the technology to help them with everyday tasks. It is truly incredible what AI chatbots, video and image generators and others can do.

With all the human knowledge that these large language models have had access to, it makes sense that parents might want to turn to it to answer nagging questions that they might have. But experts say, be careful. While it might provide a starting point for a conversation with a health expert, there are dangers associated with using it.

The dangers of leaning on AI for parenting advice

First of all, there are certain things that you should never plug into an AI chatbot, and one of those is personal information, especially medical information.

“A lot of time parents are dumping personal, sensitive information into ChatGPT without giving thought to the sensitive information they’re giving away to a large company,” Grant McDonald told USA TODAY. He and his wife Klaudia created the mobile app Bobo after having two children in three years during a global pandemic. He warned that “your data is not leaving our platform.”

Then there is the fact that AI chatbots hallucinate, producing incorrect information, as well as becoming an “echo chamber” warned Klaudia.

“It’s easy to lead AI with how you’re phrasing. You need to be specific and objective in how you write your prompt,” she advised. Otherwise, your inquiry could generate answers that you want, however, they may not be completely accurate.

AI parenting advice should be treated as a starting point, but consult an expert

Chatbots learn from being fed large amounts of data from numerous sources, including medical and scientific journals, as well as other organizations. But as mentioned above, they may not always pump out the correct answer for your situation.

However, exactly because it has access to so much information it can make it easier for parents to find studies and information they might otherwise never have found on their own.

“It is tremendously helpful in all those things because the stakes aren’t as high if it makes a mistake,” commented chief medical officer of Bluebird Kids Health in Broward County, Florida, Dr. Michael Glazier. That said, he cautions parents to always use a “critical eye” when consulting AI for advice.

“Sometimes parents come in and they say, ‘I did all my research and now I’m not sure what to do, can you help me?’ That’s not a bad place to be because we can go over what they found,” explained Glazier.

“It’s a tool and it’s incredible and it’s getting more pervasive. But don’t let it take the place of critical thinking,” he emphasized. “There’s a lot of benefit for us as parents to think things through and consult experts versus just plugging it into a computer.”

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