‘My son genuinely believed it was real’: Parents are letting little kids play with AI. Are they wrong?

Some believe AI can spark their child's imagination through personalized stories and generative images. Scientists are wary of its effect on creativity

Josh was at the end of his rope when he turned to ChatGPT for help with a parenting quandary. The 40-year-old father of two had been listening to his super loquacious" four-year-old talk about Thomas the Tank Engine for 45 minutes, and he was feeling overwhelmed.

He was not done telling the story that he wanted to tell, and I needed to do my chores, so I let him have the phone," recalled Josh, who lives in north-west Ohio. I thought he would finish the story and the phone would turn off."