In a first for Parent Zone, we’ve asked the AI tool ‘ChatGPT’ to help us write a guide about itself, the impact of artificial intelligence on children, and what parents need to know about these fascinating new (but imperfect) technologies. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly evolving technology. And it’s increasingly becoming part of our daily lives. 

You might have heard more and more mention of AI recently, potentially thanks to the growth and popularity of ChatGPT. 

Here’s what parents need to know about ChatGPT and AI tools.

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a freely available piece of online software. Since being released in 2022, millions have signed up and begun using it to create content, answer questions and much more. 

It’s best understood as an ‘AI chatbot’, which simulates the sort of conversations you’d have with another human. 

You might already be familiar with how chatbots work thanks to how much of a role they now play in customer services. But what makes ChatGPT a little different is how sophisticated it is, and how it relies on AI to provide its service. 

Using AI technology, ChatGPT can answer a whole range of user questions. It can also create original content – like poetry, essays, quizzes, or jokes – based on the ‘commands’ or instructions a user provides. AI which does this is often labelled ‘generative AI’. 

How does it work?

Computer programmes gather enormous amounts of data – this can be things from online news outlets, eBooks, images from Google searches (millions upon millions of them), to mp3 files containing all kinds of music. 

Then, complex algorithms help AI tools like ChatGPT to ‘understand’ or categorise bits of data and to detect any patterns – like what makes a poem ‘sad’, what makes a song sound like Cher, or what separates an orangutan’s appearance from Shrek.

The tools are then able to respond to users’ instructions and generate answers and content (like requests for a sad poem, a tune in the style of Cher, or a picture of Shrek having lunch with an orangutan). 

Why is it popular?

Having powerful (and free-to-use) AI tools quite literally at your fingertips can be a really exciting thing to test out for 10 minutes on your lunch break. 

But besides the novelty of new tech, ChatGPT is also popular because it’s convenient, easy to use, and responds accurately to user requests. 

The software can be very handy if you need a quick explanation of something tricky, want to chuck together some info for a work project or need a couple of fresh ideas for some social media posts. 

Other AI tools

ChatGPT isn’t the only generative AI tool out there. 

Software like ‘Dall-E 2’ or ‘Midjourney’ can be used to create custom images, you can turn to OpenAI’s ‘Jukebox’ for some AI tunes in the style of Elvis Presley, or you might prefer to ask 'ELI5' for some really simple explanations of quantum physics or crypto. 

Even if you’re not overly familiar with some of these companies, there are definitely some recognisable names involved in the development of this new tech. 

This includes Google, which has released its own AI chatbot 'Bard', and Microsoft, which has revamped their 'Bing’ search engine by involving the AI power behind ChatGPT. 

The impact on children

As tools like ChatGPT become more commonly used they're likely to have a significant impact on children and families. Many of the possible issues are yet to emerge.

Education

These technologies offer exciting opportunities to improve how we learn. For example, ChatGPT can provide students with immediate feedback and guidance, and can easily create things like essays and answers to homework questions. 

Other sorts of AI tools can generate amazing-looking images of things for art and design classes. But one worry here is that children will attempt to get tools like ChatGPT to do their schoolwork for them. 

This is of course different from using the internet and online resources to find out some extra info or to get some artistic inspiration. 

Using AI tools to complete schoolwork is likely to count as cheating in a lot of circumstances – and this might have severe consequences when it comes to exams and graded work. 

Bullying and inappropriate material

There’s a risk of using AI for bullying and other harmful reasons. 

Although ChatGPT doesn’t create images, other tools – like Dall-E 2 or Midjourney – could be used to make fake profiles, generate fake messages or comments, and manipulate images or videos to spread false or negative content which harasses others.

Children may also feel as though they aren’t personally responsible for the content that tools like ChatGPT create. This may incentivise them to make inappropriate requests or to share hurtful material more widely. 

Parental controls and safety 

It can be helpful for parents to educate children about the harms and risks of using these technologies, and to teach them how to use AI tools with a sense of personal responsibility. 

Children should also be encouraged to think about the limitations of ChatGPT, as answers provided aren’t guaranteed to be correct, and do require the ‘right’ questions being asked in the first place.

Additionally, it’s important to ensure that AI-powered tools are designed by tech companies with safety in mind (more below). 

What else do parents need to know?

Some AI tools – like ChatGPT – are pre-programmed to avoid certain requests that are unethical or are considered to be inappropriate.

This means these tools won’t respond to requests to create violent imagery, or written content which involves sexual activity or explicit language. 

But this doesn’t mean that some users won’t find ways to create hurtful or adult content, or that all AI tools will be pre-programmed to prevent inappropriate requests.

Technology like ChatGPT is still rapidly evolving, and new developments and challenges are likely to emerge in the coming years. 

By staying up-to-date with tech developments – and giving some of these tools a go –  parents will be best placed to ensure their children can get the most out of a future that is increasingly shaped by AI. 

*This article was co-written by Parent Zone and ChatGPT, with prompts and instructions from the Parent Zone team. All content has been moderated and edited prior to publishing.  

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This article was last updated on 02/10/23.