Digital Childhood Script Series
"I'm just using ChatGPT for help."
What to say
Start with what AI actually is
"AI doesn't actually know things. It predicts the most likely words based on patterns in data. It predicts words, it doesn't check facts. That means it can sound confident even when it's wrong."
What it should and should not do
"AI can help you think something through, but it can't do the thinking for you, and that part is still your job. If it helped you get to your own answer, good. If it just handed you the answer, you skipped the part that actually builds your brain."
The simple test
"Here's a simple test. If you could still explain the answer without the AI, then you used it the right way. But if the AI did the thinking and you just copied it, then you skipped the learning."
The real question
"You're going to grow up with AI that can answer almost anything, so what I actually want to teach you is how to use it well. Lean on it to sharpen your own thinking, not to do it for you."
What not to say
"You're cheating." or "AI is bad." Both shut the conversation down, and what you want is for them to understand how it works without being scared of it.
Why this matters
AI is the part a lot of us are still figuring out, and this gives your child a practical test they can use themselves rather than a rule handed down from you.
Follow-up questions
- "Can you explain what the AI told you, in your own words?"
- "What would you have written before you used it?"
- "Did the AI get anything wrong?"