Hey, Siri—Help Me Parent: Exploring AI for Modern Families

You’ve probably heard of artificial intelligence or “AI” before, but what does it mean for your life as a parent?

AI, in simple terms, is when machines or computers are programmed to mimic human intelligence by thinking, learning, problem-solving and even understanding emotions.

Believe it or not, AI is becoming a big part of our lives and our children’s future. If you’ve ever asked Siri a question or let YouTube recommend a video, you’ve already used AI. The key is knowing how to use these tools better and safely.

Why should parents understand AI?

You don’t need to be tech-savvy to see how much AI is changing everyday life, especially for your kids. Here’s why it matters for you:

• Your child is likely already using AI. From personalized learning apps to YouTube suggestions, kids interact with AI daily. Understanding AI helps you guide how they use it.
• You make better tech decisions. When you understand AI tools, you can choose the right ones for your child and avoid the ones that aren’t age-appropriate.
• You stay ahead of the curve. As schools and applications become smarter, using AI ensures you’re ready for what’s next and not playing catch-up.

Benefits of AI Use

Save time. AI tools can help you draft emails, plan grocery lists, create family schedules, or summarize long documents in seconds. The less time you spend on logistics, the more time you can spend with your family.

Support your child’s learning. Whether your child is writing a paper, studying for a test, or exploring a new interest, AI tools (like ChatGPT) can provide explanations, answer questions, and even quiz them. It's like having a homework helper on call 24/7.

Discover resources. Need age-appropriate birthday party theme suggestions? Want ideas for rainy-day activities? Curious about local events? AI can help you explore and give you a place to start before heading off to do your own research.

Build tech skills together. Learning how to use AI isn’t just for you! It’s a great opportunity to explore technology with your kids. Modeling curiosity and digital literacy prepares them for a future where AI will be a part of everyday life. Also, it strengthens your connection with your child. Exploring new tools together becomes a shared experience.

Tips for Using AI

Fact-check any content created by AI tools. AI compiles information from many different sources to provide answers, and sometimes the information given isn’t correct. It is always a good idea to fact-check information received from AI sources before believing it to be true.

Give specific, detailed instructions. AI works best when given clear, understandable instructions for tasks without unnecessary language like “please” and “thank you.” Overall, specificity in the instructions given to the tools will provide users with better results.

Start with low-risk tasks. Explore together for added fun. Use AI to build shopping lists, organize chores or plan meals. These suggestions are great ways to get comfortable incorporating AI tools into daily life without stress. As you get comfortable, explore more features and apps that fit your needs.

Try the following prompts in Gemini,, opens a new window ChatGPT, opens a new window, Claude, or the AI tool of your choice:

“Can you help me write a joke about a robot and pizza?”

“Give me some suggestions for quick weeknight dinners for a 7-year-old who despises peas.”

“What is a fun science activity to do at home with my middle school student?”

“Explain mechanical engineering in a way a 5-year-old could understand.”

“Give a fun step-by-step tutorial on how to clean my room for a child, but write in Generation Alpha slang.”

Here is an example of how the last prompt might come out. We used ChatGPT to generate this one.

✨ How to Clean Your Room – Gen Alpha Style 😎🧼🧸

Yo bestie, your room’s lookin’ kinda sus 👀
Time to go from ✨messy chaos✨ to 💅 clean queen/king vibes 💯
Let’s get it 🚀

🧩 Step 1: Big Trash = Bye Trash 🗑️

Look around for:

• • Old snack wrappers 🍿
  • Broken toys 🧸
  • Crusty drawings you forgot about 🖍️

Scoop it all up and YEET it into the bin. 💥
(Take the trash out after, or it’ll be sus again in 5 min 😬)

🎒 Step 2: Floor = Not a Closet 🧦🩴

Your clothes? They don’t live on the floor, fam 😭

• • Dirty? Toss in the laundry basket 🧺
  • Clean? Fold & put away like a boss 🧠💪

Level up: Race the clock ⏰ — can you beat 2 minutes?

🧸 Step 3: Toy Squad Check 🕵️‍♀️🧃

Time to squad up your toys:

• • Legos with Legos 🧱
  • Dolls with their crew 👯
  • Cars in the garage (aka toy bin) 🚗

Put them where they "live" so they’re ready for the next epic play sesh 🎮

📚 Step 4: Shelfie Goals 📚📷

Books, art supplies, and random squishies — give them a ✨home✨

• • Stack your books so they’re not vibing on the floor
  • Pens go in a cup or case 🎨
  • Fidgets in their cozy corner 💫

Looks 10x more aesthetic now, no cap 🧠

🛏️ Step 5: Make That Bed = Main Character Energy 💁‍♀️

Pull your blanket tight like you’re starring in a cleaning montage 🎬
Fluff the pillows. Place your fav stuffed animal on top like a boss 🐻
Instant cozy vibes = unlocked ✅

🎉 Step 6: Final Touches 💅

• • Light a (kid-safe) scented candle or plug in your diffuser 🕯️🌈
  • Play your clean room playlist 🎧
  • Hit the mirror with a peace sign ✌️ and say “Room = slay.”

You did it, bestie!! 💖
Your room is now 100% ✨NO LONGER CRUSTY✨

💡 Bonus Challenge:

Ask your grown-up to rate your clean-up on a scale from “eh” to “LEGENDARY 🏆”
(Then go flex your clean room on FaceTime or take a “before & after” photo 📸)

Yes, your child may roll their eyes, but I bet they will get a giggle out of this activity together.

Recommended AI tools

Cleo, opens a new window: Personal Finance AI Assistant

Cleo uses artificial intelligence to help users manage their money through a fun conversational interface that offers features like automated savings, spend tracking and budgeting tools.

Cleo connects to your bank accounts securely through bank-level encryption. Once connected, the AI analyzes your spending patterns, income and account balances.

Price: Cleo offers multiple pricing tiers with different available features for users.

Shortwave, opens a new window Email: AI-Powered Inbox Management

Shortwave is an AI-powered email organization app for Gmail accounts. Once logged into your email account, Shortwave sorts incoming messages into three categories. 

• Non-actionable items: newsletters, promotional content and notifications. These items are flagged for quick deletion to reduce inbox clutter.
• Quick tasks: requests that can be completed in less than two minutes, like confirming an appointment or sharing a requested resource. These are highlighted to be completed immediately.
• Longer tasks: emails that need specific attention, like complex questions or proposals. Longer tasks get converted into tracked tasks for users to follow up on later.

These three categories help users have a clear and organized inbox. Shortwave also offers helpful features like unsubscribing from emails, filtering emails, and thread summaries.

Price: Shortwave offers a free plan with limited features and a paid plan with no limitations.

Meal Planning with ChatGPT, opens a new window

While most are likely to be aware of ChatGPT, some are unaware of the multitude of ways one can use the tool. One use for parents is to use ChatGPT for meal planning.

First, users can inform ChatGPT about their diet preferences, allergies or other specific dietary requirements that will assist in receiving the best recommendations. Users can also specify goals, explain meal preferences and set meal frequency restrictions so that AI can provide tailored suggestions according to the boundaries set.

Once this setup process is complete, users can request the AI to generate a meal plan, find recipe suggestions or inquire about calorie or other nutritional values of different foods.

AI works best when it is well-informed, so if any suggestions are not to your taste, explain that to the AI to receive the best recommendations possible. Don’t hesitate to ask follow-up questions, request modifications or seek further clarification.

Price: ChatGPT is free, but users can unlock bonus features with a paid account.

Adora, opens a new window: AI-powered Parental Control App

Adora helps parents monitor their child's smartphone use by detecting potentially obscene images or unsafe received and sent text messages.

Additionally, Adora offers features like screen time management, blocking unauthorized purchases and providing location tracking with departure and arrival alerts.

Price: Adora has some free basic features and offers in-app purchases, or users can subscribe to Adora Plus for full access.

Milo, opens a new window: AI-powered Family Organizer

Milo is an AI collaborator designed to help parents manage the invisible load of running and raising a family. It organizes family events, reminders, to-dos from SMS and email, remembers everything and keeps everyone on the same page with daily rundowns.

Milo organizes everything into a family calendar and family lists that everyone can access when they need to. It includes unlimited messages to Milo, a Google Family calendar, custom lists, daily and weekly rundowns, and email and SMS support.

Price: Milo costs $10 a month with access for the whole family.

Remember, using AI doesn’t mean relying on screens or handing over responsibilities. It means working smarter, with a little digital backup when you need it most. As tech keeps growing, so will the ways it can support your family.

Now that you’ve taken the first step in understanding AI, you’re already ahead of the curve!