Parents Are Letting Their Kids Use AI—And It’s Changing How They Think
A growing number of families are integrating artificial intelligence into daily life, with children as young as 13 using AI tools for school, gaming, and trip planning. But experts warn that relying on machines to think and write could destroy human creativity and critical thinking.
In a new essay, a mother of three young boys describes how her family uses AI daily—from planning vacations to building video games. Her 13-year-old son, Dash, has his own AI subscription and uses it to build games on Roblox and as a math tutor. But he is also skeptical, complaining that AI search results are often wrong and that he has never been fooled by “obviously fake” AI videos [184303].
The family’s experience reflects a broader trend. Author Dave Eggers, in a recent interview, warns that relying on AI to think and write will destroy human creativity. “Once you have a machine think and write for you, you’re cooked as a species,” Eggers said [184149]. He argues that the practice of drawing by hand builds empathy and that AI eliminates the space where true understanding grows.
Writer Amy Galliford echoes this concern. She argues that AI eliminates the “holy ground” between question and answer—the space where contemplation and growth happen [184119]. The technology, she says, robs users of the discomfort that leads to deeper thinking.
Despite these warnings, the mother in the essay believes that using AI intentionally can replace lower-quality attention with higher-quality attention. Her husband gave up social media entirely after switching to AI tools. Even the family’s 72-year-old grandfather became a power user [184303].
But the debate is far from settled. As one author put it, the question is not whether AI can help—but what humans lose when they stop thinking for themselves.