Her mother Lilian Schmidt, who lives in Switzerland, is well known throughout the media (good morning america, fast company, new york post) I praise ChatGPT. Specifically, she half-jokingly refers to the AI tool as a “third co-parent,” or trained personal parenting assistant. On TikTok, she offers tips on how to get the most out of the tool through prompts to help organize your household, meal plan, and even sleep train your kids. In just a few months, she’s already amassed over 20,000 followers…but do parents actually want to work with artificial intelligence to raise their children?
There is no doubt that AI is everywhere these days. It’s in our offices and of course (and to the dismay of many teachers and professors) it’s in our schools. An earlier version of the omnibus bill, the Big Beautiful Bill, included a 10-year moratorium on AI regulation. Although this provision was removed before it was signed into law, it highlights the fact that those in power are thinking about programs like ChatGPT and Open AI as much as we are wondering whether we should use them to plan our meals. In fact, in 2024, UN Under-Secretary-General Tsilizi Marwala warned against over-reliance on AI tools. “When accuracy and truth are confused, there is a high risk of harm,” he wrote. “Especially in fields where human judgment and ethical considerations are important.”
Schmidt emphasizes that the machines have not yet become widespread. Finally she said postshe is still the decision maker. But AI has helped her make those decisions, she says. “We have them serve as experienced toddler coaches and meal planners. We ask them to guide us through the entire process,” Schmidt says. “I asked ChatGPT to take on the role of an infant therapist, someone who understands young child development,” he continued.
We conducted a quick survey on social media asking parents if they thought tools like ChatGPT would help them raise their children.
Some people used it for household finances and one-off tasks.
A small number of parents were asked if they had ever used AI, but this was typically either used for mundane/routine tasks (e.g. meal planning) or used explicitly. Non Everyday to-dos that are outside of your normal scope, like writing a difficult email to another parent or planning a party or vacation. Generally speaking, they used AI for the kinds of tasks only slightly related to parenting…with mixed results.
“I tried to use it for scheduling and recipes, but honestly, it wasn’t very effective or accurate,” says Tammy S. from Texas. “Our brains are good. We’re fine with basic math calculations. This recipe makes 18 cupcakes instead of 12. But when you consider the environmental and cognitive impact, it’s not worth it.”
Few people used it especially for childcare purposes.
Others found uses for AI in the context of childcare. Help your child with ADHD establish routines and learn how to ask questions of your child with pathological demand avoidance (PDA). A father asked ChatGPT to review his child’s medical records and ask more informed questions before a doctor’s visit to better explain the situation.
“It gave me structure and helped me get an interactive ‘voice’ in real time while trying out different methods,” says Sandra K. from South Carolina. “But I also admit that when that didn’t work, I started considering hiring an actual human sleep consultant.”
Most people have never used this, and several explicitly oppose it
Some inexperienced people did not anti-AI, but I never thought of it or couldn’t think of any great uses for it in my daily life. But many more had ethical concerns about using this technology for anything, much less something as sensitive and serious as raising a child. The enormous impact that artificial intelligence will have on the environment has become quite a hot topic, as have concerns about the accuracy of the information.
“I’m pretty staunchly anti-AI, especially when it comes to interpersonal skills like parenting,” says Jonathan F. from Illinois. “I never thought to ask, but I also understand that ChatGPT is trying to spew out buzzwords that are supposed to be humanizing, but are just wrong across the board.”
Some were uncomfortable with the common way AI programs are trained, i.e., analyzing and synthesizing established works and works without crediting the original authors. Even more people were wary of outsourcing tasks that require critical thinking or emotional intelligence to machines.
Brianna A. from North Carolina says, “I learned a long time ago to avoid Google when it comes to parenting advice and medical advice. I don’t think AI is any different. I just read less books. As a parent, I have to do what I think is right for my kids, not what someone else in my position might think.”
TL;DR, parents are still approaching AI in very different ways
Schmidt’s digital parenting style may be helpful to some people. You might even get a glimpse of an increasingly popular trend. However, due to the limitations of technology and the still cautious attitude of many parents, it seems that not many people will be interested in “co-parenting” using ChatGPT right away…
