Challenge Your Mind, Change The World

Can AI Think Like Your Teen?

• The Classic High School Teacher • Season 1 • Episode 18

Share episode

Send us a text

What happens when the world's most sophisticated AI meets the boundless imagination of a child? 

That's the question we're tackling head-on in this thought-provoking exploration of human curiosity versus artificial intelligence.

While today's AI can pass bar exams, diagnose diseases, and generate convincing content in milliseconds, it fundamentally lacks the ability to wonder, to be genuinely curious, or to think independently. 

Through fascinating neuroscience research and real-world examples, we uncover why a child asking "do fish get thirsty?" is demonstrating a form of intelligence that no machine can replicate.

The stakes couldn't be higher for parents and educators. 

As teenagers increasingly rely on AI for instant answers, they risk becoming passive consumers of information rather than active questioners. 

But there's hope. We dive into three science-backed strategies to nurture "AI-proof thinking" - teaching kids to ask better questions, encouraging exploration without rigid goals, and modeling curiosity ourselves.

You'll discover why curiosity isn't just a personality trait but a biological superpower that triggers specific brain activity and dopamine release, hardwiring information in ways that enhance learning and retention. 

Through compelling examples from MIT's Media Lab and University of California research, we examine how children naturally outgrow AI as their questions become more abstract and imaginative.

The future belongs not to those who know all the answers, but to those who ask the most insightful questions.

 Download our conversation-starting questions from the show notes and try asking your child something that AI couldn't possibly answer. 

Then watch their uniquely human imagination light up with possibilities no machine could ever dream of.

Show Notes Link: 50 Questions to Spark Curiosity At Home

If you enjoyed today's episode, please take the time to rate our podcast. Your rating means the world to us and it allows us to continue to share and grow our message of support to other fabulous humans out there!

Confidence to Lead Academy is coming soon! This is THE subscription your teen needs to be on if they are shy, full of potential yet lack the confidence to explore it, or dream of having a life where they can learn how to step up and be heard, but just need that little extra nudge to do so. The Confidence to Lead Academy is all about giving your teen a voice that helps them speak up in class, push themselves out of their comfort zone and begin to develop real leadership skills that will help them long after school finishes. The waitlist has opened - learn more here!


Follow us on:
Instagram
Facebook
Or visit our website: www.classicliteratureteacher.com

Speaker 1:

Welcome to Challenge your Mind, change the World. I'm your host, francesca Hudson, and today we're diving headfirst into one of the biggest debates of the 21st century. And if you are a parent of a teenager or a child, then this is going to affect you. And the debate is this can artificial intelligence think like a teenager or think like a child, if you have children that aren't quite a teenager status yet? Now we live in a world where AI can pass the bar exam, it can diagnose medical conditions and it can even write poetry. It can answer the toughest academic questions in milliseconds, it can predict trends and it can generate images that look almost indistinguishable from real art.

Speaker 1:

But here is the real question Can it think, not just process information, not just predict outcomes, but truly wonder about the world the way a child does, the way a teen does? Can AI experience curiosity? Think about the last time your child asked you a question that caught you completely off guard, maybe something like do fish get thirsty? Or if time had a smell, what would it be? Or and this is one and up from our house if mortis, aliens see colors we can't even imagine. Now, these aren't just cute curiosities. They reveal something fundamental about human intelligence, something that AI, no matter how sophisticated, may never fully replicate. So today we're going to be going beyond the surface level conversations about AI and getting into the science, the neuroscience of curiosity, the cognitive differences between children and artificial intelligence, and why the ability to ask great questions, not just answer them, is what makes your child or your teenager's mind one of the most powerful forces in the world. And before we get started, I want to hear from you what's one question your child or your young person has asked that left you completely stumped, laughing or in awe. I'd love to hear, drop it in the comments or tag me on social media, because I would love to feature some of your answers in future episodes. All right, buckle up, because today we're going on a deep dive into the AI versus human curiosity debate.

Speaker 1:

Let's start by setting the record straight AI is powerful, but it is not imaginative, it's not curious and it's not capable of independent thought. Now, what I mean by this is in today's world, we often hear people say things like AI is so smart now, or AI is practically human, but those statements overlook something really crucial AI isn't actually thinking in the way that we do. It isn't dreaming up ideas or wondering about things outside of what it's actually being trained on. And, at its core, ai is a prediction machine. Okay, prediction machine. It scans through massive data sets and recognizes patterns and generates outputs based on probability, but it predicts. It doesn't ponder. It processes, but it doesn't wonder.

Speaker 1:

Young people, on the other hand, are wired with curiosity. Their brains are designed to seek out the unknown, to explore and to question. The prefrontal cortex, that's the part of the brain responsible for higher order thinking, develops rapidly during early childhood, peaking between the ages of three to seven, so we're talking about a really young age here. This is why young children always seem to ask why every five seconds. It's their way of constructing meaning, testing ideas and making sense of the world, and a 2014 study from the University of California, berkeley, found that young children learn faster than AI algorithms when presented with new information, because their brains aren't just detecting patterns, they're actually forming conceptual understandings. Children create their own mental models of how the world works, they experiment, sometimes by accident, and they learn through failure. Ai, on the other hand, does not learn in the way a child does. It's trained. Ai needs explicit data inputs right, and even when it generates new ideas, those ideas are fundamentally derivative, meaning that they're based on things it already has been exposed to.

Speaker 1:

So let's put this to test with a real-world example. So one of the biggest AI breakthroughs happened in 2016, when Google DeepMind's AlphaGo defeated the world's best Go player, lee Sedol. Lee Sedol, I hope I'm saying that right. So Go is an ancient board game with more possible moves than there are atoms in the observable universe, right? Huge Meaning that no human could memorize every possible outcome. Now, alphago's victory was stunning because it made an unexpected move, one that even the expert players had never considered, and people called this move creative. But was it really? Here's the key difference. Alphago didn't create that move the way a human would. It didn't have a flash of insight or wonder you know what if I tried something totally unexpected? Instead, it analysed millions of past games, it calculated probabilities and it made a move based on statistical likelihoods.

Speaker 1:

Now, that's not the same as a child inventing a completely new game, which is something kids do all the time. Let me give you an example of how a child's mind works. If you hand a group of kids a pile of sticks and tell them to play a game, what happens? Well, they don't just play an existing game, they start inventing rules. I'm smiling because this is so common. In my house I've got two boys. They're ultra competitive. We start with the base support game and then it goes completely sideways because they both want to win. So they both invent their own rules. But I digress. So when you hand a group of kids a pile of sticks, they don't just play an existing game, they start inventing rules, naming things, testing ideas, adapting strategies. They don't need a data set of past stick games to draw from, they just explore. And a child's ability to create something from nothing right, that's pretty cool is not based on past data, but it's based on imagination, and that's what sets human intelligence apart.

Speaker 1:

Now, ai is fundamentally incapable of true curiosity. But let's take this conversation one step further. What happens when kids become teenagers? The way children think and question the world changes drastically as they grow, and by adolescence the quantity of questions they ask decreases, but the quality becomes more profound, because during teenage years, the brain undergoes a massive remodeling process. The prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for critical thinking and decision-making, is still developing, but the brain also starts pruning away connections that aren't frequently used, and this means if curiosity isn't nurtured, it can actually decline over time.

Speaker 1:

Now, what does this mean in the AI era? Well, teenagers are at the crossroads. They have access to instant information at their fingertips thanks to AI, but they are also the most at risk of becoming passive consumers of knowledge rather than being active questioners. Think about it when a teen needs an answer, do they A Google it or ask ChatGPT or B take the time to deeply question, explore and think critically. Now I know we all know the answer to this. Most often it's A because it's easier. But here's the danger If AI provides instant answers but teenagers stop developing the skill of critical inquiry, are they really thinking at all?

Speaker 1:

This is where parents and educators play a massive role. We need to challenge teens to go beyond just asking questions. We need them to start asking questions that AI can't easily answer. And what I mean by this is, instead of saying, instead of asking, what is the capital of Iceland, try asking instead how do geography and climate shape national identity? Or I'll give you another example Instead of asking how does gravity work, you could ask instead could gravity ever be manipulated in the future? It's those sort of rhetorical questions that allow opinion to come into the answer and the ability to think deeply and ask original questions is what will set human intelligence apart from AI.

Speaker 1:

Now, ai is fundamentally incapable of true curiosity. Children will ask why. Ai, on the other hand, will ask what's next. Or children will generate brand new ideas, whereas AI will recombine old ones. Or children will challenge rules, whereas AI will follow them. Imagine a five-year-old watching a rainstorm and asking does the sky get sad when it rains? Now, an AI would process that sentence and say no, rain occurs during the condensation of water vapor in the atmosphere.

Speaker 1:

A child, however, is engaging in abstract, metaphorical thinking. They aren't looking for a scientific explanation. They are creating a mental model of the world, one that connects emotion and nature and storytelling, and this is why AI, despite all its advancements, struggles with original storytelling, it struggles with humor and it struggles with really deep creativity. So can AI think like a child or a teenager? No, it can't. Ai can simulate human responses, it can sound like humans, it can pick up on mannerisms and frequently use words or phrases that somebody of note might use. It can answer questions with incredible accuracy. It can even appear creative at times, but it does not think, it does not wonder and it does not dream. And here's the big idea the most valuable skill we can nurture in our kids isn't memorization or data recall. Lean in for this. It's curiosity, because in a world where AI can answer any factual question in seconds, the people who ask better questions will always be the ones who stay ahead. Now, curiosity is more than just a personality trait. It's actually a biological superpower. It's the engine that drives human learning, it drives innovation and it drives creativity.

Speaker 1:

And neuroscientists at the University of California Davis conducted a study on curiosity and learning, and the results were mind-blowing. They were oh my God, they were so amazing. They found that when people are genuinely curious about a topic, their brains undergo a remarkable transformation. I'll summarize the key findings into three parts. So they found that when participants were curious, that their hippocampus, which is the part of the brain responsible for memory formation, lit up with activity. They found that curiosity also triggered a dopamine release, which is the same brain chemical associated with pleasure, motivation and learning reinforcement. And they found that this combination meant that when someone was curious about a subject, they learned faster and retained information far longer, even if the information wasn't directly related to their initial question. Now the translation of all these findings curiosity hardwires information in our brains. That's what it comes down to. It's why we remember fascinating facts from childhood, but we forget random data we were forced to memorize in school.

Speaker 1:

Now, this is where AI completely falls short. Ai doesn't feel curiosity. It doesn't have an inner drive to explore beyond what it already knows. Imagine giving AI a data set of every question ever asked on the internet. Could it predict what the next question should be? Yes, could it come up with an interesting or unexpected question on its own? No, why? Because AI is limited to what has already been programmed into it. It doesn't wonder about the unknown. It only calculates probabilities based on existing data, and I'll give you a case study to show you what I mean.

Speaker 1:

So a study from MIT's Media Lab tested this by observing young children interacting with AI-driven conversational bots. Now, initially, the kids were entertained. Ai could answer these simple questions and respond in fun ways. Think about Siri on your phone. My kids had fun with Siri all the time, but after a while, something fascinating happened. The kids outgrew the AI, and you'll probably find this at home when your kids are playing around with Siri too.

Speaker 1:

Why? Because children naturally push boundaries. They start asking questions that AI simply can't process. For example, the kids in the study asked what would colors look like if we could hear them instead of see them? Or does the sky know it's blue? Or if time had a smell, what would colors look like if we could hear them instead of see them? Or does the sky know it's blue? Or if time had a smell, what would it be? These aren't just random questions. They require abstract thought. They require metaphorical reasoning and creative problem solving. These are things that AI struggles with because they don't rely on passion recognition, and this is proof that curiosity is an AI-proof skill.

Speaker 1:

But what happens as kids grow older? Do teenagers retain this level of deep questioning? Because curiosity takes on a whole new role in adolescence? And while young children are naturally curious, something happens in the teenage years. Studies show that as kids grow older, they start asking fewer questions. Why? Because they become more self-conscious. They worry about looking foolish. The education system often prioritizes knowing the right answer over asking the right question, and with instant access to AI-powered search engines, there's less incentive to wonder when you can just Google the answer.

Speaker 1:

But here's the danger If teenagers become passive consumers of information rather than being active thinkers in their own right, they risk losing the very skill that makes them irreplaceable in an AI-driven world, and I want you to ponder this really critical question If a teenager relies on chat, gpt, to write their essay, solve their math problem or summarize a book, what part of their own brain is doing the work? I want you to ponder on that, because imagine a high school student writing an essay on the future of technology. If they ask AI, what will technology look like in 2050? Ai will generate a really well-researched answer based on existing data. But if they ask themselves, what kind of world do I want to create in 2050? Now we're entering into the realm of true human thought. That question requires imagination, vision and independent thinking, things AI simply doesn't possess.

Speaker 1:

So how do we help teenagers maintain and strengthen their curiosity? If we want to prepare teens for a future where AI plays a bigger role, we need to train them to ask better questions, and here are three science-backed strategies that you can try at home. We need to teach them to teach inquiry over answers. So instead of rewarding our students and our children for getting the right answer, we need to encourage them to ask better questions. Getting the right answer we need to encourage them to ask better questions Now. A 2018 Harvard study found that students who are trained in question asking technologies develop stronger problem-solving skills and deeper critical thinking.

Speaker 1:

So the next time your team asks you something, respond with what do you think? And then explore the topic together, put it back on them to try and problem solve themselves Now. The second way you can do this is to encourage open-ended thinking. Now, ai can answer who, what, where, when and how, but it struggles with why and what if questions. So you could try this exercise with your teenager Instead of asking. So you could try this exercise with your teenager Instead of asking, how does climate change affect the planet? That's a really easy, google-able answer. You could ask instead if we had to redesign human civilization to work in harmony with nature, what would it look like? Now, that's creative, that's abstract and that's human-driven thought. It's getting your teenager to start thinking creatively now.

Speaker 1:

The third way that we can encourage our teenagers to start asking better questions is to reward intellectual risk taking. So teenagers avoid and what I mean by this is teenagers avoid curiosity when they fear getting things wrong. But true learning happens in the uncomfortable space of not knowing. For example, instead of grading an assignment based solely on accuracy. If you're an educator, you give points for originality and the depth questioning shown and this is a question for the teachers listening to this to the educators what if schools had an assignment called AI can't answer this, where students come up with a question that even AI struggles to answer? Now, that's a challenge that will get teens thinking.

Speaker 1:

I'll leave you with that thought, because, in a world where AI can provide instant answers, the most valuable skill we can teach kids and teenagers is how to ask better questions, because while AI can process, that it can predict and it can mimic, it cannot wonder or dream or imagine something entirely new. That is a human gift, and if we want to future-proof the next generation, we must train them not to accept quick answers, but to keep questioning, to keep exploring and to keep thinking beyond what AI can comprehend. So here's a little bit of a challenge for you this week Ask your child or your teen a question today that AI couldn't easily answer. Then watch how their mind sparks with curiosity. And to help you, to give you a little bit of a nudge along, I'm going to link some questions that will get the conversation started that you can download and pick one or two or three or whatever you'd like to try out with your children at home. I'll link it in the show notes.

Speaker 1:

I think it's important to remember that curiosity is more than just a childhood habit. It's a lifelong superpower and, as we just mentioned, in a world where AI can instantly generate answers, the real advantage goes to those who can ask the better questions. They can think independently and they can explore without limitations. So the question is how do we nurture curiosity in a way that helps kids and teens stay ahead? We don't want our children to simply become better at memorizing facts. Ai already does that. We want them to develop the cognitive flexibility, the creativity and the problem-solving skills that make them irreplaceably human.

Speaker 1:

The good news Curiosity can be taught. Anyone can develop their curiosity skills. I've got three science-backed strategies to raise AI-proof thinkers, and we'll look at how these strategies evolve from early childhood into the teenage years. So the first one is to teach kids and teens to ask better questions. We touched on this briefly in the practice before. Now, while it works, the right question can unlock entirely new ways of thinking. Now, while it works, the right question can unlock entirely new ways of thinking.

Speaker 1:

A Harvard researcher, dan Rothstein, found that students who were explicitly taught to formulate their own questions developed stronger problem-solving skills, better critical thinking and a greater ability to learn independently. Now, in contrast, when students were only given answers, they became passive learners, which meant relying on external sources rather than their own intellectual curiosity. Now why does this matter in an AI-driven world? Well, ai can answer just about anything, but it can't generate those original, paradigm-shifting questions the way humans can. The ability to question a substance, to challenge existing knowledge and to think critically is what will separate human intelligence from AI in the future.

Speaker 1:

So how do we apply this with kids and teens? Well, starting with young kids, when they ask a question, pause before answering and say what do you think? For example, if they say why is the sky blue, instead of immediately explaining, say hmm, great question, what do you think causes it? Now, with teenagers, you can challenge them to come up with questions that AI can't answer. So, for example, instead of asking AI what are the causes of climate change, you could ask if we had to rebuild human civilization from scratch with today's technology, how would we design it to be fully sustainable? Oh, now, this forces deep thinking and creative problem solving and innovation all things that AI really struggles with. And if you're a parent listening to this, you could create a question of the day challenge in your home. Or if you're an educator, in your classroom and the goal is to ask the most mind-bending AI-proof question possible. Turn it into a challenge. You can have a lot of fun with that.

Speaker 1:

Now my second science-backed strategy for developing curiosity is to let our kids and our teenagers explore without a goal, and in education we call this unstructured play and learning. But why it works? I'll tell you why it works. A University of Chicago study found that children who engage in unstructured play, which is where there are no fixed rules or predetermined outcomes, develop higher cognitive flexibility and better problem-solving skills than those who follow strict step-by-step instructions. So, essentially, re-exploration strengthens the brain's ability to adapt and to think divergently. Now why does this matter to adapt and to think divergently? Now why does this matter? Well, ai thrives on structured data. It learns best when given clear patterns or objectives and constraints, but human intelligence flourishes in uncertainty and ambiguity and an open-minded, open-ended exploration. So how do we apply this with children and with teenagers? We'll start with kids.

Speaker 1:

So at home, you could encourage open-ended, creative play. Give them Lego, art supplies or cardboard boxes and just see what they come up with. Let's really get them to stimulate their imagination. So, example, instead of saying let's build a castle, just hand them the materials and say I wonder what you create with these. And we, we get these every month. We get kiwi boxes at home, which are really cool. They're. They're a great thing. We got them when the pandemic started and we had to learn from home and we just carried on since then because they are so good. They come in different age groups and my oldest son now is at a point where the kiwi box will come. It's called the tinker box and instead of following the instructions, he actually just starts creating his own things from it. It's really cool. And I just let him go because I know that that's firing up the neurons in his brain and he's making new connections and all that sort of thing. So I think it's a great way whatever way that you can find an in with your kids, whatever they're interested in, to start fostering that curiosity. Go with it, lean into it.

Speaker 1:

Now, with teenagers, the best way is to encourage learning and experimentation without an immediate goal or outcome. So, for example, instead of saying you need to learn coding so you can get a tech job. You could say, try learning coding and see if you can create something fun with it, maybe a game or a music generator or an AI bot that tells jokes. Because when learning isn't tied to just grades or jobs or practical applications, curiosity thrives. So, if you're up for it, here is a challenge for your teen. At home, you could give your teen a problem with no clear solution and let them experiment. So, for example, what I mean is how would you redesign school to make it more engaging? Or, if money wasn't an issue, what the most innovative business you'd start? Now, this trains them to start thinking like innovators rather than just passive learners them to start thinking like innovators rather than just passive learners.

Speaker 1:

Now my third strategy for fostering curiosity is model curiosity yourself. Why does this work? Well, psychologist Lev Vitosky's research found that children and teens learn best by observing the adults around them. If they see parents and teachers acting curious, inquisitive and eager to learn, they naturally mirror that behavior. Hey, I do meditation and every day I will make sure that I have a part of my day for meditation. And I picked my child up from school the other day and I asked him how it went. And he said oh God, I was feeling a bit tired so I meditated. And he said, oh God, I was feeling a bit tired so I meditated. Because my youngest is turning seven. So the thought of a seven-year-old having this maturity to meditate take five minutes out to meditate it made me smile. But I realized just how much they absorb and they watch us as adults. Now why does this matter in an AI-driven world? Well, if kids grow up in an environment where asking deep questions, experimenting and seeking knowledge is the norm, they will be far better prepared for an unpredictable future.

Speaker 1:

So how do we apply this modeling curiosity with younger kids? What you could do is, when you don't know the answer to something they ask, say I wonder why that is, and research it together. So, for example, if your child asks why do we dream, you could respond with that's such an interesting question. Let's see what the scientists say about it. And then, with teenagers, how you can model this is by exploring new topics yourself. So, for example, if AI is the topic of conversation, you could try saying something like I'm really curious about how AI is changing music production. Let's check it out together so you can show your teens that learning doesn't just stop after school, it's a lifelong mindset, and you could even go as far as having something like curiosity nights, where each family member brings a question to discuss something fascinating that they learned that week, something new that they didn't know beforehand. Because AI is changing everything about the way that we learn, the way that we work and the way that we interact with information. But there's one thing it can't replace, which is human curiosity and creativity and the ability to think in new ways. If we want to raise children and teenagers who will thrive in the AI era, we must teach them to ask better questions, to give them the freedom to explore without those rigid goals, and to model curiosity and lifelong learning ourselves, because in a world where AI can generate answers, the humans who generate better questions will always be the ones who lead.

Speaker 1:

Let's circle back to the title of this podcast episode Can AI Ever Truly Think Like a Child? The short answer is no, and not just because AI lacks emotions or consciousness or a human soul, although those are certainly vectors. The real reason AI will never or consciousness or a human soul, although those are certainly vectors. The real reason AI will never truly think like a child is because, thinking as we humans do, it isn't just about processing data, it's about curiosity and creativity and imagination.

Speaker 1:

Ai can predict, but it can't wonder. Ai can answer, but it can't question deeply. And AI can predict, but it can't wonder. Ai can answer, but it can't question deeply. And AI can simulate, but it can't feel a spark of inspiration. This is why, in an AI-driven world, the most important thing we can do as parents and as educators and leaders is raise thinkers, children and teenagers who question, explore and challenge ideas, rather than just accept the answers given to them.

Speaker 1:

I want you to take a moment today and really listen to the questions your child or your teenager asks, because in those moments, whether it's a five-year-old asking where does the wind go when it's done blowing, or a teenager asking what if we could solve world hunger using 3D printed food, they are doing something AI never will. They are wondering about possibilities that don't yet exist. And that, my friends, is the ultimate superpower. Curiosity isn't just a trait. It's the fuel for every great innovation, discovery and breakthrough in human history. From Einstein's theory of relativity to the invention of the internet. It all started with a question. So we want to future-proof our children, not just against AI. I'm not against AI, but against stagnation, complacency and a world that increasingly values automation over original thought. We need to nurture our children's ability to think beyond what already exists, because the future won't be written by those who can simply memorize and regurgitate information. It will be written by those who dare to ask.

Speaker 1:

What if, as we wrap up today's episode, I have a final challenge for you. Tonight, at dinner or during your next conversation with your child or your teen, ask them a question AI wouldn't be able to answer. Maybe something playful, like if animals had their own schools, what subjects would they learn? Or maybe something futuristic, like what's one invention the world doesn't have yet but absolutely needs. Or maybe something profound. If you could teach the world one lesson that no one has thought of before, what would it be?

Speaker 1:

Whatever it is, let it be a question that sparks conversation and, as I mentioned earlier, if you want some help getting started with some of these questions, I'll link a free download in the show notes, because, at the end of the day, raising a child who knows how to think is far more valuable than raising a child who simply knows the answers, and that is how we challenge our minds and change the world and, on that note, I would like to thank you for tuning into today's episode. If this conversation has sparked something in you, make sure to subscribe and leave a review, and I'd love to hear from you what's the best question your child or your teen has ever asked you Drop it in the comments or tag me on social media. And until next time, stay curious and keep thinking beyond the answers. Bye for now.

People on this episode

Head Shot

The Classic High School Teacher

Host