As a mother who has worked in tech for 20 years, I now have a front-row seat to how AI will affect my kid.
I’ve watched my college-age daughter scroll on TikTok and YouTube, so I know she has already been exposed to content that isn’t real. As much as I see the new technology’s promise, and use it myself, it scares me. I don’t know what this new technology means for the next generation.
My biggest concern right now is not screen time or stranger danger; it’s reality distortion. I’m ensuring my daughter understands what is real on social media and what has been created to trick her into clicking, subscribing, or buying.
I’m now teaching her AI discernment, following a few simple guidelines.
Fact-check content
I tell her that when she finds questionable news content, she should fact-check instead of immediately believing it.
I taught her to turn to Google News to find at least one legitimate news data point supporting the social media content. If she can’t find anything on a legitimate news outlet supporting what she saw, she knows what’s in front of her may not be real.
Random websites and YouTube channels are not places to fact-check either.
Know the algorithm
I talk to my daughter about how the algorithm really works — how content is personalized for her based on her browsing habits and what she clicks on and views more often.
She is old enough now that she understands that YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram have business goals.
I teach her to notice patterns: Why am I seeing so much of this particular type of content? Why is it being pushed to my FYP? Could this be trying to make me believe something that’s not true?
Once she recognizes the patterns, I ensure she understands that what the algorithm thinks she wants isn’t necessarily real.
Beware of AI-fluencers
I also tell my daughter not to trust the influencers and creators she follows on social media and YouTube. Just like the Big Tech companies, their goal is to keep her watching.
I’ve taught her that they aren’t creating content for fun; they are also out to make money, so they may cut corners or use artificial intelligence to twist the truth.
Sometimes, the influencers themselves may not be real — just puppets of someone behind the scenes, trying to make a lot of money from advertising.
Spot the AI
For videos created by AI, I taught her to notice certain details. There are always tell-tale signs: glitchy face movements, eyes that don’t blink, lip movement that isn’t tied to the words being spoken, weird transitions between movements, strange hair, a strange voice or tone, strange lighting or weird shadows, strange or glitchy background elements, or lack of emotion.
For example, when I watched an AI video with a doctor, the phony subject had no emotion in her voice when talking about a supposed patient who had developed a hole in her stomach.
I also show her how AI is used to help detect misinformation and the tools I use at home and work to verify content.
AI is part of the future — whether we like it or not
I want my daughter to know that it’s not all doom and gloom. AI can be used for good, as I see every day in the tech sector.
The tech isn’t yet perfect, and the AI industry needs more developers who are women and parents who can think about guardrails for families.
In the meantime, I’m raising my kid to instinctively question everything she sees online — more than ever before.
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