What Should Parents Know About AI in 2025? Matt Britton Talks To LA's Spectrum News 1

Now, artificial intelligence isn't just changing the way we game, it's also changing how we work, how we search the web for answers and how we parents. According to data aggregation company Similar web chat CBT is in the top five of most websites use worldwide, surpassing Reddit, WhatsApp and Wikipedia. And joining us now is Matt Britton. He's a tech expert and the author of Generation AI Why Generation Alpha and the Age of AI Will Change Everything. Matt, thank you so much for joining us.

Thanks for having me.

Let's start off with this. When it comes to young children using AI tools, do you have any tips for that? And especially if, for parents, if there needs to be any safeguards and what they should look out for?

Yeah, for sure. I mean Gen Alpha, which really going to distinguish them is they're going to be the first generation to grow up with AI in household. So they're never going to know a world without AI existing and that's going to change the way their brains are wired and really the relationship with technology and other humans in general. And, and there's so many things that will seem commonplace to younger people to this generation Alpha that will seem foreign to their parents. So it's really going to be critical that parents bridge the divide.

And what would you say tech is, let's say, helpful? For example, going right to an AI tool to get a quick answer for something versus parents, maybe relying on on it like a little too much.

You know, it's a fine line. I mean, I think there's so many wonderful ways for parents to interject artificial intelligence into how they interact with their kids. You can use AI to make up incredible songs about friends and family members. You can use AI to make coloring book pages for your kids at night. You can use AI to do trivia and tutoring and really make education much more interactive and fun. So I think bringing it into the household in really, in really interesting, fun, creative ways will really onboard kids to the power of AI in the right way. Obviously there's so much being made about, you know, the dangers of AI, but I do think if implemented the right way, it can really be a great learning tool and great development tool for younger kids.

Now, for younger kids, would you say for parents, are there any safeguards or maybe things that they should look out for, put in place before their kids can access that?

So I think privacy obviously is a big concern. I think the allure of AI is the more data you put into it, the more you get out of it because the interactions of AI are highly Personal. But obviously you need to be careful about what models you're feeding what information to. I think perhaps the biggest risk is that, you know, with AI, for the first time ever, we can interact with technology like we interact with other humans. And there can be the propensity for younger kids who know no other world to really develop deep and in some instances, intimate relationships with artificial intelligence and more specifically AI chat bots. And we've already seen the case of one kid who tragically committed suicide and there's a wrongful death lawsuit where allegedly the chat bot that he was interacting with told him to commit self harm. That's a case where parents really need to be on top of it, understand what is the relationship with AI and their children. And again, this is something that if we were talking about it five years ago, would seem so foreign, but it's here today.

And I'm curious for Generation Alpha, right? They're growing up with tech at their fingertips. They have the AI, they have smartphones, they're used to that. What does this mean for their development?

Yeah, I mean, I think moving forward, what's going to work in the workforce is people who possess creativity, critical thinking, problem solving skills. But the whole notion of memorization and regurgitation, which has kind of been the education complex for so long, you know, cram and study hard for a test, prove that you're able to memorize facts and spit it back out. Those skill sets are going to be far less, you know, important and valuable in a world where the knowledge economy is really being devalued. And, you know, developing those skills at early stages in life are really important. And my worry is that the education system isn't going to be able to evolve quickly enough to the changing needs of the workforce and society, because AI is evolving faster than any other technology we've ever seen. So it's definitely going to be something that's going to be complex for educators, parents and students to navigate all in their own right.

It's definitely something we're keeping an eye on. Matt Brenton, tech expert and author, thank you so much for your time.

Thanks for having me.