Unless you work in a tech field or have a special interest in artificial intelligence, you might’ve missed ChatGPT’s rollout in November 2022—or maybe you just didn’t care. Now, halfway through 2024, there are still plenty of folks who haven’t used ChatGPT and, according to Pew Research, 34% who’ve never even heard of it. But if you have kids, being familiar with ChatGPT and the other big AI players is going to be important going forward. You’re going to want to learn how to teach kids about AI.
Because AI is working its way into our kids’ lives via classrooms, Amazon, and social media tools, your kids may get used to using AI before you do. Instead of letting them take the reins, here are 4 things you can do to lead your kids well in this new AI world.
1. Stay current on AI.
For some of you, learning about AI sounds as appealing as a dental cleaning. And for others, the field feels so out of your wheelhouse that learning about it is daunting. I get that. But if you’ve read this far, I congratulate you because you’re willing to try. Remember, AI is changing the world, so it’s important to stay on top of things. Start building a solid understanding of AI. The more you know, the better you’ll be at leading your kids in this wild new world.
Start with ZDNET.com, a tech site that has countless articles on AI and is written in easy-to-understand language. This article on ChatGPT covers everything you need to know about OpenAI’s chatbot, and if you want to learn about Google’s Gemini, go here. ZDNET will keep you busy and teach you a lot really fast. To stay current, subscribe to The Neuron’s newsletter. You won’t miss anything that’s happening in AI news, and the writers have a pretty good sense of humor too, making the content easy to digest.
2. Make AI a family thing.
One idea for how to teach kids about AI is to use it with them. Otherwise, our kids could quickly surpass us in knowledge about AI. That’s because if AI isn’t already in the classroom, it probably will be soon. But if your child hasn’t yet heard of ChatGPT or other chatbots, explain to him that it’s like a super smart robot that sounds human and can provide answers to questions, create new things like poetry, and make tasks quicker. It can also be fun to play with a chatbot to see what it can do. A friend told me he used ChatGPT to come up with a bedtime story for his kid. Have your child name a topic and a couple characters and see what happens.
I tried my friend’s idea and fed ChatGPT this prompt: “Give me a bedtime story for a 6-year-old involving a mischievous fox and a curious rabbit. Give them names and let there be a sweet ending.” What I got was a 349-word story about Felix the fox and Rosie the rabbit and how they lived “in a cozy forest glade.” But, “as the stars began to twinkle,” they realized they could have fun without Felix playing tricks. Not bad!
3. Generate prompts together.
Though your kids may not see AI in the classroom in the form of ChatGPT or Gemini just yet, as they get older, it’ll be something other kids talk about. Help your child master this tech so she can have the edge. Figuring out how to get the best answers from a chatbot is a fun way to be creative with technology while spending time with your kids. Some basic advice about prompts: the more specific you are, the more tailored the response. You don’t need to limit yourself to one sentence either. Here are a couple examples to try:
– Give me a list of 10 things an 8-year-old might want to do this summer with her dad. Provide examples of things to do at home and in the yard. Be creative and incorporate science and math into some of the activities.
– What are some fun daddy-daughter dates that a 6-year-old girl could do with her father? She likes unicorns, swimming, dancing, and make-believe.
You can also give the chatbot follow-up prompts: Make the list longer. Provide five more examples. Try again!
4. Stay cautiously open minded.
Even though you might feel reluctant to add AI to your to-do list because it feels like yet another thing you have to do as a parent, know that it’s better to be informed of the good and the bad than not know anything at all.
Staying open minded about AI’s presence in schools and your children’s lives is going to benefit them in the long run. K-12Dive.com says that “learners will use AI in ways we have yet to imagine,” and not teaching kids how to use AI will “hold students back from developing skills around a technology that will be critical to their future.” So, while caution is important, we should be willing to learn what we can and work with our kids and their schools to prepare them in a way that’s safe and helpful.
Sound off: If you had to guess what the best practices are for how to teach kids about AI, what would you say?
Huddle up with your kids and ask, “What prompts should we use to get AI to write us a funny bedtime story?”