South Florida parents learn to embrace AI. Here's how they use it.
MIAMI — Artificial intelligence seems to be used everywhere these days, but there is still much fear about it and what it means for our children as they grow up in this new age.
For Tamara Walsh, a mom of three, AI shouldn't be something we're scared of but something we embrace.
"With two minutes of footage of me talking, I can create an extremely realistic AI avatar that can talk and can join Zoom meetings for me and looks and sounds just like me," she said.
Walsh went to a seminar last year and was blown away by the technology, but at her children's school, she realized there was a big disconnect. So, she decided to change that.
"It was incredible," she said. "You see these parents come in and they're nervous and they're not even sure really why they're there and they left feeling so empowered and excited to start using the technology."
Walsh started hosting seminars of her own, teaching parents how to use AI positively.
"I use it all the time," she said. "I'll look up milestones. For my youngest, at two I'm like, 'What should he be doing now? What activities?' You can use it for brainstorming and ideation. 'What activities can I be doing with him at this age to help him developmentally?'"
Of course, it's important to keep an eye on kids and know what they're doing online. But Walsh said when used properly, AI is a true game-changer.
"Our middle child, who is 6, she was really struggling to read and over the summer, she started using adaptive learning platforms with generative AI," she said. "Mind-blowing."
Her children have noticed big changes in their own skills.
"You tap on this app and then you have to read it and then it reads it over for you," said Walsh's 6-year-old, Cora.
From learning to cooking to everyday activities, Walsh said she is happy to pass along the knowledge.
"You can take a picture of your fridge and say 'Come up with a kid-friendly recipe with just the ingredients I have right now in my fridge,'" she said.
"You can snap a picture of the artwork that they drew and then ask it to 'Create a bedtime story for my child based on their artwork,'" Walsh added.
When it comes to cheating, she said AI isn't the problem.
"Everybody talks about this and everybody worries about that and we should but it's sort of like missing the forest for the trees," she said. "I think that we're putting kids in a box when were like 'They're only going to use this to cheat.'"
Her children still spend plenty of time outdoors being kids but also have new and interesting ways of learning and having fun.
"You can choose a topic according to your age and it will debate with you," said Walsh's 8-year-old daughter, Kaia.
Walsh added it's important to check the privacy settings and make sure you are comfortable with them. She said you can also install an app to monitor everything your kids are doing online.
For more information, visit aiempowermentnow.com.
