As a dad and a podcaster focusing on fatherhood, I work in the innovation space that bridges learning and design. I have found that using ChatGPT and AI-boosted web tools with or for my 5-year-old daughter has been both enjoyable and educational. In today’s digital age, using technology and web resources with children can be both a blessing and a challenge. While there is a wealth of information available, it’s essential to be aware of the potential pitfalls and risks associated with it.
In this article, I want to share with you how ChatGPT has become a valuable part of our family life and how it has enriched our parenting journey. I’ll also delve into my experiences as podcaster and how ChatGPT plays a role in digital parenting.
Last year, I launched my podcast, “THE FATHERLY EDITION,” which has now accumulated over 800 minutes of conversations about the joys and challenges of parenting, what I like to call the “business of emotions.” This idea emerged after years of active involvement with communities of expat families.
The podcast journey began during the pandemic when, like many families with toddlers, we had to find creative ways to engage our daughter. Drawing has always been a part of my background. My daughter eagerly joined me in this creative endeavor, and together, we produced numerous drawings in a short amount of time. This collaboration led to the idea of organizing these drawings into a series of three illustrated books for early years. Within weeks, these books were available on Amazon, and they quickly gained popularity among parents and moms from the Italian community of expat families known as “Bimbi Italiani.”
Parents began to inquire if I could create short videos explaining how we created these illustrations, and I happily obliged. We posted a series of videos online, which received positive feedback and even photos of drawings created by children and their families. This initiative had a ripple effect, leading the ThaiItalian Chamber of Commerce to request a special edition for Thailand. This special edition was presented at various conferences to showcase how design can have a positive impact on daily lives
Throughout my interactions in conferences, book presentations, and online discussions, I noticed that most parenting conversations were hosted by women. This observation prompted me to start interviewing and collecting the voices of men who were actively involved in day-to-day family responsibilities. One recurring topic was how to inform and protect our children from the digital landscape our generation created, including mobile apps and AI technology. With the rapid advancement of technology, the introduction of AI and ChatGPT-related tools has led to some concerns and apprehensions.
In my professional life, technology and the web are part of my daily tasks. Given my role in innovation, I often find myself exploring new tools and technologies. This sometimes results in spending more time in front of screens, as I experiment to understand the potential improvements that ChatGPT and AI can bring both professionally and in our private lives.
My daughter, at the age of 5, isn’t yet ready to surf the web independently, but she knows that if her mom or I encounter something unfamiliar or need to understand how something works, we can turn to ChatGPT as our “digital schoolteacher.” ChatGPT can explain step by step how things are created, and we read these explanations to her. Sometimes, we even attempt to create mock-ups or drawings based on these explanations.
Her curiosity extends to digital drawing as well, where she has discovered shortcuts and features that even I wasn’t aware of. Just as with ChatGPT, she poses questions and explores possibilities that never crossed my mind. If she wants to experiment with AI tools like Adobe’s Firefly, she does so with me, and together we create scenarios that were once hidden in her imagination.
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