Due to the rapid development of AI, people can accomplish everyday tasks with an unprecedented amount of ease. AI will write for you, check your spelling, help you develop ideas (aka thinking), compile research, create images and music, and even offer emotional support. Although AI is not intrinsically good or evil, the way individuals choose to incorporate AI into their lives does have moral consequences.
Mr. Keith Dobson recently wrote an opinion piece advocating for AI integration in the government to help citizens more easily access government data. The piece sparked robust conversation in the Must Read Alaska comments section. Mr. Dobson responded to concerned readers by agreeing that AI integration in the government could be harmful if done the wrong way. “Your caution is essential,” he wrote. “Concerns about system failure and dehumanization remind us that powerful tools can cause harm if misused.”
Although Mr. Dobson’s proposal has merit, he also admits the caution necessary to prevent the misuse of AI. While we should continue dialogue about potential AI integration in the public sphere, we must also take time to reflect on how much are we are willing as individuals to allow AI to impact our personal lives and shape our children’s minds.
I could list numerous examples of dehumanization caused by individuals’ inappropriate use of AI: a teenage boy encouraged by his AI “friend” to take his own life, a woman celebrating her engagement to her AI “fiancé,” an alarming number of students submitting AI-written essays, etc. AI itself is not the root cause of these troubling stories. AI is a tool that can be used for good, but it can also be used as an echo chamber that furthers mental illness and leads to tragedy, an artificial replacement for genuine human connection, and a shortcut that stimies kids’ creativity and intellectual development.
What is the solution? The answer to that question begins with who is responsible for the solution. The foundation of a society is the family, not the government. Rather than calling for more government oversight or pushing AI producers to better regulate their product, parents need to play an active role in helping their children develop self-discipline. Parents must set an example of the principle that human beings have free will and the power of free will comes with great responsibility. We must actively train our wills to desire good things and moderate our appetites and desires.
Our world contains innumerable opportunities for children to weaken their minds, their bodies, and their souls. Brain rot fills every corner of the internet. Excessive sugar, highly processed foods, and the couch-potato mentality are cheap and accessible. What about our kids’ souls? In popular culture today, cheating on your homework means you are “getting ahead,” working “smarter” means choosing the easiest route, objective truth is often told to take a hike, love is whatever makes you feel good, and the individual is the center of the universe.
It is not the government’s job to protect you or your children from making bad choices, whether with food or with the use of AI. The solution lies with parents. By modeling hard work, healthy friendship, genuine love, and the ability to choose what is good over what is easy, parents can cultivate self-disciple in their children and raise them to be capable individuals. AI is here and it is here to stay. The choice that remains is how much will we as individuals, not governing bodies, let AI imitate and replace human thinking, creativity, and relationships?
My experience working with children suggests parents can’t be trusted with this responsibility. Parents will reliably be as irresponsible with AI as they have been with smart phones and votes.
Wow. Not knowing what you do, I would surmise you were working with some seriously deficient and messed up parents.sadly there are indeed too many out there who should not be parenting. I have hope though for others who are on top of it. In our circle we are watching some great young parents raise their kids with good boundaries for all the electronics. Our kids are long raised and the grandchildren are too young for any electronics except the occasional movie. Our kids as parents are well aware of the dangers and need for management. I would say you are selling too many a bit short given the limited window you seem to be exposed to?
We can’t expect the congress to do the right thing, or the government dependent parents.
AI is a new program based on all the fundamental computer programs you are aware of and use or have used through the years and it has an overwrite feature that gives it a new look with no directions on how to use it. The founders and creators of AI along with the artist have simply crested a new look of everything we already know and the overwrite feature is what has become puzzling to everyone. The makers of your computer brands and the types of programs loaded into it at the time of creation of the computer made sure they were making money into the future by the time the whole computer was ready to be boxed, shipped and sold. So, you bought the marketing strategy with the opportunity to have new downloads automatically through the internet. AI has the dominance because no one seems to realize yo can take the AI mode off the computer if you don’t like it and don’t want to use it. Marketing is like that, just like a Disney land thing. With AI, you can remove it and work with your computer the way you want. AI is not a big deal. It is s push by the makers to make big bucks. Don’t let it fool you!!
I have seen too many parents use TVs, tablets and phones as babysitters or distractions.
Many (not all) children are being raised by mindless tech and much of that content is not even screened. I have over heard conversations about how parents have vaccinated their children but never do I hear about moderation of the content those same kids absorb from the devices. Viruses come in many forms from biological to psychological.
If we are to succeed as a nation, we must take back our personal responsibility and be involved in our children’s lives and not allow unfiltered tech content to take over.
To all the parents of the world. The greatest Christmas present any child could have is for you to be present.
If you aren’t careful, your children will be using your credit card to buy Labubus.
Be the change.
My wife of 40 years and I homeschooled our 3 wonderful children and I wholeheartedly agree with this article’s central message. We deliberately cultivated an environment of robust family discussion, critical thinking, and meaningful relationships—the very things AI and social media threaten to replace. Our now-grown children still engage in hours-long phone conversations with us, and our family vacations center on genuine connection and board games, not screens.
The statistics are sobering: since social media’s widespread adoption around 2010, youth attention spans have plummeted by nearly 50%. The cognitive problem-solving centers of young brains are atrophying from lack of exercise. Doom-scrolling has stolen countless hours while fueling unprecedented levels of depression and anxiety in our youth.
Natalie is absolutely right that the solution lies with parents, not government mandates. Families must model self-discipline, healthy relationships, and the courage to choose what is good over what is easy.
However, I’d like to add one dimension to this conversation: while we should shield our children from AI’s interference in their personal development, we Alaskans can—and should—leverage AI as a tool for better governance. AI could dramatically improve public access to government information, increase transparency, enhance accountability, and inform better legislation. This isn’t about replacing human judgment or civic engagement; it’s about creating a tool that helps frame more informed dialogue with our elected representatives—ideally face-to-face conversations rooted in real human connection.
AI in our children’s minds? No. AI improving our ability to hold government accountable? Absolutely worth exploring carefully.