Sam Altman’s ChatGPT parenting advice is a disaster in mixed messaging

Sam Altman says he “cannot imagine” raising a newborn without ChatGPT. It almost had me choking on my morning coffee, when I came across the clip from The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon where Altman uttered those words. Quite simply, as a father of a soon-to-be-12-year-old, I find Altman’s take not just tone-deaf, but staggeringly irresponsible.

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The last thing new parents need is another guru. We already have too many – paediatricians, YouTube, in-laws, and not to forget that elderly couple next door full of unsolicited advice. And when Altman elevates ChatGPT from just another tool to full-on parenting coach, that’s where the slope starts to get slick. Parenting is already an exercise in controlled paranoia – we don’t need hallucinations in the mix, no thanks Mr Altman sir.

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Here’s the baffling bit for me, though. Altman has warned us that unsupervised usage of ChatGPT by kids and teens can be harmful – “bad and dangerous,” in his own words. And he’s right about that. Yet here he is describing himself as “constantly” asking ChatGPT for reassurance during the most vulnerable stage of a child’s life. According to Altman’s flawed logic, kids shouldn’t form emotional dependencies on AI, but suddenly ChatGPT’s parenting advice is perfectly fine for a sleep-deprived new father or mother at 3 am? Hypocritical much? 

To give him credit, Altman did acknowledge that people have been raising kids since the birth of humankind, with “no problem” whatsoever. But just because a new AI chatbot appears, suddenly Altman – and every other Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur for that matter – automatically assumes that every old human tradition is suddenly obsolete, or worse in need of second guessing disguised as authoritative advice. That tokens and training data can replace doctors, grandparents, and community support. Narcissistic much?

Also read: Sam Altman says he can’t imagine raising a child without ChatGPT, leaving the Internet baffled

Perhaps Altman needs reminding that parenting isn’t a tech optimization problem. You don’t just “ship” a baby and patch it over time. You lean on people who’ve raised kids, who’ve been through the fire, people who can tell the difference between teething troubles and serious stuff that needs immediate medical attention. If I’d spent my child’s early years asking ChatGPT whether she should be crawling yet, I’d have been an inattentive parent, missing the real signs that you only catch by being there. No machine can replace that emotional radar that parents tend to magically develop when the universe demands them to be responsible for a newborn’s well being.

I admit parenting isn’t easy, and first-time parents need every help they can get. But anyone saying they can’t imagine raising a baby without ChatGPT needs to open their eyes and see how millions do it around the world every single day. Especially in countries where basic healthcare access is a fight, where parents don’t have the luxury of high-speed internet or reliable childcare. They survive and make it on pure instinct, community aid, and sheer stubborn love. For them, the mere suggestion that good parenting requires a chatbot is simply insulting.

What’s worse for Altman is that his parenting anecdote starts sounding like stealth marketing for ChatGPT, especially to a category of users who are emotionally vulnerable. It’s increasingly indicative of how the AI hype cycle has moved from lofty, world-changing promises of 2023-2024 to the sobering mundane reality of assistance that enhances productivity and efficiency in 2025-2026. AI will help you do your existing job that you could’ve done anyway – only with constant oversight, endless corrections, and zero responsibility. That’s just uncalled for in terms of being a parent and raising a child.

My kid is almost 12 now. If there’s one thing I’ve learned raising her with my wife is that being a parent never required perfect information – only us trying our best, with or without advice. You learn to figure things out. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the uncertain parts about parenting is where you learn who you are as a parent. Because, ultimately children demand your presence more than your prompts — something I sincerely hope Sam Altman understands sooner rather than later, in his journey of being a parent. I wish him all the very best!

Also read: Sam Altman on AI morality, ethics and finding God in ChatGPT

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Jayesh Shinde

Executive Editor at Digit. Technology journalist since Jan 2008, with stints at Indiatimes.com and PCWorld.in. Enthusiastic dad, reluctant traveler, weekend gamer, LOTR nerd, pseudo bon vivant. View Full Profile