This is the last article in our Warrior Mamas Parenting Guide Series (at least until the next media advancement), and we will be discussing the newest technology that impacts media, artificial intelligence, commonly known as AI.  

We have been discussing how Satan, our enemy, speaks lies and brings temptation to our children through media, such as harmful books, music, video games, movies, and social media.   While AI is not a type of media, per se, it is a technology, like the internet, that influences how media is developed and shared with others.  It is also rapidly becoming a primary source of information used by teens, which can be good, but can also cause notable concerns.  Today we are going to look at ways the enemy can use AI to bring harm to our kids and distract them from their callings.  Let’s look at some benefits, harmful effects, and discuss ways to monitor and equip our kids to use AI in safe and productive ways.

Benefits of AI

Have you been as blown away as I have lately by the rapidly expanding capabilities of AI?  It is quite a development to watch unfold before our very eyes.  Here are some ways it has impacted my life lately: 

• Instead of searching the web for the perfect graphics for my latest blog, I can have AI software customize an image to look exactly as I desire in seconds.
  
• While I still have someone edit my blogs, her job is becoming easier thanks to AI programs that help with proofreading and even giving me tips to boost my SEO. 
  
• My biggest wow moment came when I was short on time and about to see a speech therapy client.  I asked ChatGPT to help me write a social story on greetings with a princess theme, and it not only gave me the perfect story, but it asked if I wanted a worksheet to go with it.  The worksheet was just what I needed, and I was able to print it off in minutes before my student arrived.

From planning parties and vacations to summarizing difficult documents, AI has revolutionized, and continues to revolutionize, our world in so many ways. 

There are many ways AI can help our kids and teens today as well: 

• Providing individualized learning through apps like Duolingo, Khan Academy, and Quizlet.

• Teaching organizational skills and time management with apps such as Tiimo and Heima.

• Encouraging creativity with art, music, and video with apps like Canva, Suno, and Imagine Art.

Five Harmful Effects AI Can Have on Our Kids and How to Navigate Each 

Of course, with any technology, there are ways the enemy can use AI to harm our kids or speak lies to them. Here are a few areas to watch out for.

1. Can Become and Idol 

“So he answered and said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”  -Luke 10:27 (NIV)

Like social media, platforms that use artificial intelligence can really draw our kids in due to their engaging graphics and features, getting our kids hooked on certain apps and causing them to become idols in their lives. 

One of the newest types of AI programs on the market is called AI companions, which can be used as an educational support, a friend, or a storyteller for your kids.  The AI “friends” can ask your kids questions, have conversations, play games, tell jokes, and even create adventures together. They remember what has been told to them, so they can pick up from previous conversations like a real “friend.”  While this type of app seems fun and engaging for our children, the concern lies in our kids becoming too attached to their AI companion (whether a screen app or an actual robot) and preferring it over real-life relationships and God.

Another way that AI can become an idol is through its ability to answer any question you ask at the press of a button. While this is an amazing feature that can help in so many ways, your kids may be tempted to go to AI platforms for every answer in life, rather than seeking wisdom from God and their parents. 

Navigating Tips:

Make sure your kids are spending time with God in prayer and His Word, completing work and responsibilities, and spending time with family and friends before engaging with platforms that use AI.  Teaching healthy boundaries around time management and when it’s appropriate to use AI will set a foundation for using AI wisely into adulthood as it continues to advance. Be leary of using AI platforms as a “friend” for your kids.  God created us to have real relationships with others, and we don’t want technology to replace human interaction in our kids’ lives.

2.  May See Inappropriate Content

“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” 
-Ephesians 5:11 (NIV)

With technological advancements in AI, such as realistic graphics and videos, inappropriate content is becoming even more enticing and difficult to stay away from.  For example, AI can take people’s appearances and alter their images to depict them inappropriately or make them act in inappropriate ways. This horrific use of AI, called deepfakes, makes sharing your children’s photos on the internet a potential risk for exploitation, blackmail, and bullying.  Also, some AI platforms allow user-generated content, where users may create inappropriate material that your children could encounter. 

Character.AI and Chai are two AI chat apps where kids and teens have the potential to encounter inappropriate conversations with chatbots.   

AI image generators like Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, and ChatGPT create realistic photos that can open kids and teens up to inappropriate images depending on prompts entered into the platform.

Navigating Tips:  

It is important, especially when your kids are young and less mature, to monitor their internet use, making sure they are not accessing websites and apps that have inappropriate content.  Read reviews about desired apps and ask the Lord for wisdom about whether the app is appropriate and safe for your children.  Use parental controls on apps to keep content safe and harmless.  Parental filtering apps like Qustodio and Bark can also help filter out inappropriate material, making them great tools to use as well.

3.  May Hear Biased Information

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”  -2 Timothy 4:3 (NIV)

Because the tech companies that dominate the AI Industry are known to be liberal and often have anti-Christian worldviews, our kids can hear biased information on particular topics they are searching for.   Although these AI models claim not to be biased and have improved over time, there are still some left-leaning biases that you will find if you ask the right questions with some of these apps. A recent study by AIZolo found that of the most popular AI apps, Claude was the least biased, followed by Gemini then ChatGPT, Grok, and then Llama.  

Navigation Tips:

Teach your kids to come to you, God’s Word, and godly mentors and teachers when they have a question about faith or moral issues. They must know that truth comes from God and His Word, and everything else must line up with that truth.  The more they know God’s truth and the moral principles found in God’s Word, the more they will be able to discern when answers are biased on AI platforms. AI can be a great resource for general information and planning purposes, but when it comes to seeking truth and wisdom, God’s Word and godly counsel should always be our ultimate source.

4. May Encounter False Information

“But test them all; hold onto what is good.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NIV)

Another concern to watch out for is false information that AI can and sometimes does present.  Because these apps are not perfect and are still growing and improving, there are often times when the application doesn’t have enough information to give an accurate answer.  The problem is that AI will often pull together whatever information it can find and share it with you as if it is factual.  Because this is a common occurrence with AI, it has been named “hallucinations.”  Kids and teens can receive wrong information, at times, leading them to believe that false information is true.

Navigation Tips: 

Teach your kids to check answers by using multiple sources, not just AI.  If your child needs to do research for school, help them know how to use AI platforms in ways that align with the school’s policies.  For example,  platforms like ChatGPT can give your kids links to credible resources when prompted to do so.  This way they can find the information they need directly, rather than getting the information from compiled findings that may or may not be accurate. Teach your kids to discern when information might sound off and check other reputable websites on the topic being searched to ensure the information is correct.  

5. May Promote Laziness and Lead to an Unsure Future

“Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.” – Proverbs 14:23 (NIV)

Although technological advances continue to make working and creating things more efficient and effective, the advancement of AI could lead to a loss of human skill and knowledge, and could cause people to turn away from God’s purpose for their lives.  Because AI can “think” so much for us, there is a strong temptation for kids and teens to let AI programs do their work for them, whether that’s calculating their math problems, writing their English paper, creating a graphic, or summarizing a book.  Schools are having to crack down on cheating with the use of AI, but it is hard to catch everyone, so accountability is limited.  

Our children’s future is going to look very different as AI continues to reshape the job market. If they become overly dependent on AI to think and problem-solve for them instead of developing their own knowledge and skills, they may find themselves less prepared, and ultimately less competitive in the workforce when they enter adulthood.

Navigation Tips:  

Teach your kids to use AI as a tool to help them solve problems and gain knowledge, rather than doing their work for them.  Talk through scenarios of when it is appropriate to use AI and when it is not appropriate.  AI can be helpful for teaching you how to do a certain type of math problem or for giving you a synonym for a word in your paper, but it becomes overused when it is doing your math problems and writing your paper for you.  Check in on your children’s work regularly to provide accountability, and look at their search history if you suspect they may have used AI in a way they should not have.

There are many useful ways to use AI, and it will undoubtedly lead to some amazing advancements in many industries in the years to come.  As Christian parents, we need to model God-honoring practices with AI and protect our kids from ways the enemy wants to use this technology to speak lies to our kids through ungodly content, biases, and misinformation.  

God created us in His image to work, solve problems, and create things in order to take care of and rule over the earth. We must not let the culture or technological advancements prevent our kids from having a strong work ethic and using their God-given abilities to make a difference in the world for His glory. 

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  – Ephesians 2:10