Sam Altman, the CEO and co-founder of OpenAI, recently shared an interesting perspective on parenting in the age of AI. He mentioned that his kids will "never be smarter than AI," but he believes they'll be "vastly more capable" thanks to their familiarity with AI tools. Since welcoming his first child in February, Altman has even turned to ChatGPT for parenting advice.
He expressed optimism about how new AI technologies will positively impact his infant son and any future children. "My kids will never be smarter than AI," he stated during the first episode of the OpenAI Podcast, which aired on Wednesday. "They will grow up vastly more capable than we did, able to accomplish things we can't even imagine, and they'll be skilled at using AI."
Altman emphasized that he focuses more on the opportunities AI will create for the next generation rather than the challenges it might pose. "I don't think my kids will ever be troubled by not being smarter than AI," he added.
He also acknowledged that while advancements in AI could lead to some societal issues, such as an increase in people relying on these technologies, he believes the benefits will ultimately outweigh the negatives. "Again, I suspect this is not all going to be good," Altman told podcast host Andrew Mayne. "There will be problems. People might develop some concerning — or even very concerning — parasocial relationships, and society will need to establish new guidelines. But the potential upsides are enormous."
Altman, who referred to himself in the episode as "extremely kid-pilled" (meaning he thinks "everyone should have a lot of kids"), also mentioned that ChatGPT plays a significant role in how he approaches parenting. He shared that during the first few weeks after his son was born, he was "constantly" turning to the AI chatbot for advice on basic baby care.
"People have managed to take care of babies without ChatGPT for ages," Altman remarked. "I honestly don't know how I would have handled it."
Yet, later in the episode, Altman recognized that ChatGPT tends to "hallucinate" — in other words, it can give out incorrect information — and despite this, many users seem to trust the chatbot more than you'd expect.
"People have a surprisingly high level of trust in ChatGPT, which is fascinating, considering that AI can hallucinate," Altman noted. "It should be the kind of technology you approach with a bit more skepticism."