AI for Kids

Why Parents Need to Be “In the Loop” About AI — And How to Start (Families)

• Amber Ivey (AI) • Season 3 • Episode 12

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Worried that “learning AI” means more screens and less connection at home? We flip that script with a parent-first, practical roadmap for saving time, lowering stress, and building real AI literacy, together with your kids. Our guest, former teacher, edtech pro, and mom Julie Kelleher, shares how she created “Like a Mother AI” to help families turn curiosity into safe, meaningful habits.

We dig into the TIME framework, Tutoring, Ideas, Management, Encouragement, to show exactly where AI can lighten the mental load. You’ll hear how Notebook LM becomes a private study buddy using only teacher-provided PDFs, how a quick pantry photo can generate five meals for picky eaters in minutes, and how to turn dense topics into short audio or video explainers that match different learning styles. We talk about choosing education-first tools with stronger privacy guardrails, setting living house rules you can revise, and why co-learning is the fastest way to replace fear with confidence.

You’ll also get a candid look at boundaries and safety. We cover when kids should use a tool themselves vs. when parents should gatekeep access, why “no faces, no voices, no personal data” is a strong default, and what to do when a chatbot response feels off, document it, talk it through, and use that evidence to push for better products and policy. 

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Amber Ivey:

Welcome to the AI for Kids Podcast, the podcast for moms, aunties, and teachers who want the kids they love to understand AI without more screen time. We keep it simple, safe, and fun. No tech degree required. Each episode breaks down AI ideas and includes activities to help kids use AI in ways that keep them curious and creative. No pressure, no overwhelm, no extra screens. Just clear, engaging learning you can feel good about. Let's get started. Hi everyone, welcome back to AI for kids, the show where we talk about apps, AI, all things artificial intelligence. But today we're flipping the script a little bit. Kids, do not be mad at me, but we're talking about parents and AI. Yep, moms and dads are joining in the fun too. Today we have Julie Kelleher. Hello, Julie. Welcome to the show.

Julie Kelleher:

Hi Amber, thanks so much for having me.

Amber Ivey:

I am super excited to talk and have this angle coming from like a parent. We've had parents on the show, but they're normally talking about their research, their work, or things that they're doing, but not from like the parent perspective. So I'm really excited to chat with you today. Same. So before we get started, I like to do a little bit of an icebreaker to get us started. Are you are you down for that? I am ready to go. Awesome. So I'm gonna ask you a question. Would you let AI do it? And the answer is yes, let AI do it, or no way, that's a human job. Are you ready? I'm ready. Would you let AI pick what's for dinner every night?

Julie Kelleher:

Not every night, but definitely if I'm out of ideas. And I would also let my elementary middle schooler help me get AI to help us figure it out. I love that.

Amber Ivey:

And would you let AI write your text to your best friend?

Julie Kelleher:

Definitely not. She would totally, she would totally be able to tell what it is.

Amber Ivey:

Yeah, a lot of people are like copying and pasting from Chat GPT, and folks are like, you don't ever talk like that. Where did this come from?

Julie Kelleher:

Yeah, especially with the em-dashes. Those are the giveaway now.

Amber Ivey:

Yeah. And what is an em-dash for our kids?

Julie Kelleher:

Yeah, it's like the long dash between words. And it used to be fine in writing, but now it's kind of like an obvious sign that somebody wrote something with AI. So next time you're looking at a website or like a brochure, if you see a lot of those, they probably used AI for that.

Amber Ivey:

100%. I used to write with them and I stopped.

Julie Kelleher:

Same. I love them, but now I just have to throw in a lot more commas.

Amber Ivey:

Yeah, way more commas than I ever wanted to use, but totally fine. That's where we are. And would you let AI plan your next family vacation?

Julie Kelleher:

Yes, but only the boring parts. And I would definitely double check before booking anything because I know that people have booked things that were actually not the right date or the right, right activity.

Amber Ivey:

So secretly, I used it to plan my trip to Seoul, Korea, earlier this year. I was tired. I had a lot going on with work and life and AI for kids stuff. And I was just like, tell me what we're doing, go look at the best things. And honestly, I used it. I didn't use it to book anything or go that far, but more so like, here are the places I want to hit, like where are the places I should go? Because I'm like, I don't have time to Google this. So I totally get that. I wouldn't use it to book anything. There were some days where I showed up places where it was already close. So that did happen.

Julie Kelleher:

Yeah. Uh but no, yeah, totally, totally for that part. Just like to get some ideas going. Like I'm, you know, I'm planning a trip to New York City. And like, what are the top 10 things that a, you know, an elementary schooler needs to see?

Amber Ivey:

And last but not least, would you let AI grade your homework?

Julie Kelleher:

This is a tricky one because I am a former teacher and a mom. And this is a little bit more of a, you know, a both and. So yes to kind of like grade things that are quick, yes or no, or you know, multiple choice, but I still think that the teacher needs to be there to guide the student. They know their learning styles, they know just what their needs are. And so that's a tricky one. And I know I have totally broke the rules and I never just did a simple yes or no.

Amber Ivey:

Oh no, you're totally fine. The funny thing is that we always talk about human in a loop. Now I'm like, okay, now there needs to be a teacher in a loop when it comes to anything with school. So I love that. Yeah. And Julie, you've been a teacher. One of the hardest jobs, I believe, in the world. And you're also a tech expert and a mom, which is another hardest job, I believe, in the world. Which one is the toughest?

Julie Kelleher:

Oh, yeah, being a mom, hands down. That one's absolutely the toughest. So, I mean, teaching was tough. And, you know, but my students went home at the end of the day. And did I worry about some of them? Absolutely. And, you know, work, I can close my laptop and not look at my phone. But, you know, being a mom is a full-time job. And I say that I have I'm a full-time mom with a full-time job because it, you know, it never stops.

Amber Ivey:

And I love it. 100%.

Julie Kelleher:

It's my favorite job. And that's the great part.

Amber Ivey:

We want to make sure, like you said, when it's other things, you can shut it off. But being a mom and is so important and why I wanted to interview you here, especially thinking about moms and AI, because I hear a lot of moms, teachers are, of course, anxious as well, but I hear it really from moms and dads who are like, Amber, what is this AI thing? I am not trying to put this in front of my kids. And you created something called Like a Mother AI to help parents use AI. What made you think moms and dads needed their own AI crash course?

Julie Kelleher:

Yeah, it's a great question. So, I mean, this has really been kind of this evolution over the past two years. So I work in education technology. A lot of the work that I do is focused on AI in education these days. And so, and I'm a solopreneur. So I use AI a lot in work and everyday life. And I started to kind of like transfer some of that into parenting tasks. And I was seeing so many great benefits really over the past year, really around things like productivity, whether it was like helping tutor my kids or idea generation or just management of routines and chores and even some encouragement, that I was like, oh, this would be so great to share with other parents. And then as I was thinking about teaching my first workshop, I realized, you know, it really needs to start with AI literacy. You know, what is the landscape? What do people need to know? What do I need to know? And how does that impact kind of my parenting philosophy? So that's really what came about. At first, I was getting so many benefits really around reclaiming time. And I think anybody, especially, you know, a working mom, is always looking for ways to get little micro bursts of extra time. And so I wanted to share that with people. And then, you know, I really became more passionate around literacy and kind of filling this gap, that I really feel like there's not a lot of AI literacy in a really structured way for families.

Amber Ivey:

That's such a good point, especially for parents and then families together. I agree with you 1000% that it doesn't exist per se. And as you were like testing out this AI and what that could look like, if AI could do one parent chore for you, or if it already did one parent chore for you, what would that be? We always joke about laundry and we wanted AI to come do the laundry and the dishes and all those things, not like take over our creativity. But what would be the things if AI could do any parent chore? What would you choose? Or share some of the stuff it also did for you.

Julie Kelleher:

I actually was thinking about this the other day. Like, if I could have a robot, what would I be comfortable with it doing? And for me, it is decluttering, inventorying everything in my house. You know, there might be a battery in like every floor of the house and five different rooms. Put all those together, put them in a bin, label it, inventory it, like just, you know, like just manage it like it's a it's a store and help me then figure out so I don't like, you know, I don't know about you, but sometimes I order something, like some cleaning supply, and then I find a full bottle of it somewhere else that I forgot about. So that would really be it. I mean, all the time. That yeah, just the the decluttering and inventorying everything. So I don't have to think about that.

Amber Ivey:

Yeah, I've been looking at some of the robot helpers that they release. I know China has released some of the ones that are supposed to help you around the house. That for me is a place where I really do want them to be advanced enough. I want them to not be strong enough to take over. I know, but also like I appreciate that some of them are like three feet tall or four feet tall. So I'm five nine, so I'm pretty tall. So I'm like, as long as it's shorter than me, I feel a little bit better about it and being able to help there. I'm like, it can't be like six foot tall walking around. I would be a little scared. I know. Um, terminator vibes. But yeah, uh, if it could do that, I would love it as well. Yeah. And feel free to share what were some of the things you were using AI for when you like came up with the idea of like a mother to help, like you said, as a solopreneur to like gain some of that time back. Yeah.

Julie Kelleher:

I mean, so really I used to be a middle school teacher. So like I'm always thinking about these like graphic organizers and mnemonic devices. And so I came up with the acronym of Time. So, like, how do I use it most frequently? Tutoring, helping my kids. And I'm always in the driver's seat, by the way, like with the AI tool. So using ChatGPT to come up with reading passages for my third grader because I know that she's learning consonant vowel consonant words, that kind of thing. Or, you know, helping my sixth grader, like notebook LM is my favorite tool these days. We like over breakfast this morning, we helped her study for her science quiz because I already have a notebook prepared for her. And like that, just those types of things are like massive time savers. And I can quantify. I know how long that would have taken me a year ago and how much time it saves me today. And it's it's fun, and they find it fun. So there's that piece. So tutoring and then idea generation. So like meal planning, take a picture of what's in your fridge and ask for ideas. Management is another huge time saver, like management of routines and schedules. The amount of time that it used to take me to like prepare the back to school schedule from summer to school was like, you know, eight hours. And maybe I'm not super efficient around that, but I did it in less than an hour by uploading materials and creating a custom GPT that I could ask questions to. And like that's the kind of stuff I want to empower other people to do. And then encouragement. So this is a very personal decision, but I've also figured out ways to kind of aggregate all of these parenting resources that I've purchased and read over the years into another custom tool where like on the fly, I can actually give my kids meaningful feedback in the moment about maybe a tricky friend situation or something that happened at school. And it's because I've populated all the information, I trust the information, I ask the questions, I read the response. Instead of having to go find a book, thumb to a chapter that I probably don't remember, it helps me be more present in the moment. So it's time tutoring, ideas, management, and encouragement.

Amber Ivey:

I absolutely love that and will definitely use it. I'm sure parents listening are going to be using that as well. When you think about this world of technology and what that looks like, and you think about your kids, what is one time your kids totally beat you at using technology? Like you sound pretty advanced in use for the average person. I talk to people about this stuff all the time, and you've already like created your own custom GPTs. I mean, it happens more than I would like to think.

Julie Kelleher:

So I mean, they think I'm a Luddite, which is really funny because I'm like, girls, I have worked in this space for 20 years. I'm, you know, I'm pretty savvy. But so touch screens, like touch screens are just, you know, they're like experts in it, and it's still new to me. So like we live in a district where they have Chromebooks, and I forget that a Chromebook has a touch screen too, and I'm constantly getting schooled on like, don't touch it, or I'm just trying to point something out. Keyboard shortcuts as well. Like, I had no idea. I'm a Mac user that the space bar can be a pause button. Didn't know that. And then photo and video editing. Like they just can kind of like intuitively know how a new feature in like the photo tool works. So to me, it's like they've just got this intuition around technology and all of these touch screen devices that they totally beat me at. They're digital natives and they're AI natives.

Amber Ivey:

100%. And they can, in my mind, or in my experience, they can recognize AI often way quicker than adults can. And they talk about things about AI, like always do AI for kids workshop, where one of the pictures is like two cats, one's a real cat, one's a fake cat. And then we do a picture of like a ramen and a fake ramen or AI generated ramen. And the kids are always like, oh, the light hitting there, light doesn't reflect them that way, or cats would never let you get that close in that position because you're making them vulnerable. And I'm like, You're in you're in second grade. Okay. Then think about those things, but also that's amazing. And I agree with you. Like they're born into this generation and they're they're totally ready for it. But of course, we need to stay there with them and help them continue to get it. Yeah. Speaking of that, you mentioned something called Notebook LM, which I think is an amazing tool. Can you share about it? Yeah. And why parents should consider using it for themselves, their kids, like the number of podcasts you can create or random things you can create are so cool.

Julie Kelleher:

Yeah, it is my it is my latest obsession. And I'm gonna share something if there are any middle schoolers out there like this is super cringe, but I dressed as Notebook LM for Halloween because I love it so much. And here's why I love it. So, one, I call it a closed AI tool, which means like it's not going out and gathering information from like anywhere these other AI tools are getting information from. It's all based on the information that's put in there. So, like, I'll give a perfect example. My sixth grader had a science quiz this morning. I've uploaded all the PDFs that her teacher has already provided. It's a notebook for her science class. So that's the closed piece. I put the information in there. It's free. It's from Google, it's free, which I also appreciate, which makes it accessible for everyone. And then here's the best part it has these six built-in features. It can be create a quiz, create flashcards, create an audio overview. That's this podcast conversation, create a video, which is amazing. And then I'm drawing a blank on the last two, but so it has these built-in features. And so she can self-select. She doesn't like flashcards, but she loves the quiz. So she's actually even choosing and helping me understand what her preferred learning style is, which is an added benefit. And then also the video generation has been really fun to play around with because we're taking some content that can seem kind of dry for a sixth grader. We did this for history. It was about these four explorers. And, you know, we took the static content from PDFs and made it dynamic in a video with a prompt where I just said, you know what, make this engaging for a sixth grader that really likes storytelling. And so, you know, I don't always get a lot of feedback on things that like this is working well, but I'm getting it indirectly through that. And then I've actually shared this with other mom friends who were curious about it. And then they're sharing success stories with me about how their kids are using it. Like one kid is using it to study German, another one is using it for math. And so I can't say enough things highly about it. And then I also use it for my own learning, like complex topics. And I'm learning that actually I thought I was a visual learner, but the podcast style is really good for me to digest like really complex topics and having, you know, two AI-generated voices talk about something.

Amber Ivey:

It was so cool. I came across it over a year, but it's been some time and just hearing like the podcast version, I too thought I was visual and kinesthetic, or kinesthetic, meaning working with my hands, which I think in a way I still am, but I also really love podcasts and audio. And I think in a world where everything is visual, I may just be leaning more towards audio, but I really appreciate being able to learn something, even dumping in things from books or whatever that I want to learn and like really interrogate. And it breaks it down in a way that's so simple and anyone can understand. And using it for kids, I think is brilliant. And I hope that parents, you hear this and that you actually try to use it is not complicated at all. We'll drop the link in the show notes, but please make sure you check it out. And I know we've all heard of this thing called human in a loop. I mentioned it earlier and I also said teachers in a loop, AI, but you talk about parent in the loop. What does that mean in plain English?

Julie Kelleher:

Yeah, so you know, anybody kind of in the AI and the tech world probably heard this concept of human in the loop. So human in the loop is really this, you know, kind of advocacy and this idea of a human is involved in these AI workflows, in inputting the content, inputting the information, inputting the prompt, and then also on the other end of it, reviewing it, validating it, verifying it, vetting it, et cetera. So I'm a big advocate for that. I'm I'm always the human in the loop and the AI that I'm using. And then as I was thinking about how to, you know, help other families kind of learn about AI and determine if they want to try some of the benefits that I've experienced, I realized like I'm not here to give parenting advice. And I also don't want to be kind of pushing something that people aren't comfortable with. I really needed a guiding principle. And so I landed on I want to help other parents, I want to empower them to become the parent in the loop, the AI parent in the loop in their kids' lives because it's here to stay. And our kids are accessing it. If they're younger, maybe they're not accessing it yet. But I know in elementary schools, AI tools are being used that are approved and great to use. And then I know in middle school, and I'm putting some workshops specifically around this because in middle school, that's where there's a lot more kind of freedom and independence and the boundaries are starting to get tested. And and parents need to stay in the loop on what's going on in their kids' lives. Just like, and this is like an analogy that I like to share. You know, I'm not gonna let my kids go to some random playground that I've never heard about with a bunch of people that I've never heard of or met and spend as much time as they want to be there. That's the physical world. I'm the parent in the loop there. I still make decisions. I determine if, when, how, why, where, what they do. The same goes for the digital world and especially the AI world. And so I talk about being the parent in the loop, having a parent in the loop mindset. I mean, it's continuous. Like a new thing comes out, you know, a new feature gets dropped into a tool that we're using at home. Then I've got to go and figure out how that works. And that's really what has kind of grounded me and helped me help others understand what I'm trying to do without trying to kind of push something. Because really, I'm saying it's your family, your choice. I want to help you figure out how you can become in the loop and stay in the loop so your kids can thrive. Because there are a lot of benefits, but we also need to be aware of the risks and the and the threats.

Amber Ivey:

Everything you said makes total sense to me. And I can hear those parents that I talk to that are like, Amber, I'm not as advanced as Julie. Like, she sounds like she knows what she's doing. And I often like remind folks back to what we said earlier around kids know a lot about this. So, why should parents and kids learn about AI together? Yeah, that's it.

Julie Kelleher:

This is my favorite topic. So I'm a big proponent because I'm experiencing it myself. Learning alongside each other because we're all learning. One, I mean, it's not going away, right? We just have to embrace it or figure out what our boundaries are, right? And you got to be in the loop to figure out what your boundaries are. But then also, it is this kind of magic of learning and creating together. So there's often this dynamic of like, I'm the parent or the child, you know, and this hierarchy. But when we sit down and we're learning something new together, when my sixth grader could school me on this new Canva AI feature that I didn't know about, like the other night at dinner, they both totally tricked me. They made me believe that there was actually something out there called a smell bot that, you know, people could use. And then I looked it up, and actually there is such a thing as a smell bot, but like they made me believe that it was like something that they had heard about. So, anyhow, it was like we're kind of like making jokes about this. It's becoming part of our regular conversation. And that to me, it also kind of levels the playing field. So there's like this magic of learning and creating together. They see us with a beginner's mind. They learn about an experimenter's mind being okay. And it also helps us have conversations early and often about the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Amber Ivey:

So, so, so true. And I think when parents can learn together with their kids, it takes the pressure off a bit. Like you said, you as a person who's been an expert in this field for some time, and you even refer to yourself as a Luddite or a person who is not as advanced in technology earlier, or your kids refer to you as a Luddite, which is probably not right because you have been in technology for some time, but you still are able to learn things with each other. And because the tools are coming out on a pretty regular cadence of different updates and different things are being explored or learned, takes the burden off of everyone. Like we all don't know. We're all trying to learn this together. And this to me feels like a great place for parents to jump in because we're all trying to learn it together. And I hope that makes them feel a little bit of encouragement that it isn't something they should know already. They, of course, can explore, but also they can learn fully with their with their child.

Julie Kelleher:

Yeah, absolutely. And I and also I have recommendations on which tools to learn together and which tools the parents should, you know, you play with that first and then figure out how much exposure you want to let your kids, you know, kids have to it. But like notebook LM, especially for like upper elementary and middle school, it is such a great entry point for learning together. And, you know, I'll even hand my daughter my phone so she can take the quiz on her own because I know it's only asking her questions about the content that I approve to go into.

Amber Ivey:

And that's so important. What are the types of characteristics of tools where you do allow your child, you feel safe doing exactly what you just said with a book element? Yeah.

Julie Kelleher:

So uh so I kind of I think about it in these in these buckets. So one, there's like there's embedded AI tools in our house, right? We've had voice assistants for years. So I'm okay with them using those. And then there's also like AI in things that we use daily, like Spotify or even email. And so we just talk about it. You know, I'm always like, do you know how it knew that you know how it knew to play that song? Do you know that that DJ is actually AI? You know, so we just name these things. And then when I think about like the consumer AI tools that really just led to everybody kind of talking about AI over, you know, almost three years ago. Actually, I think it has been three years. Yeah. I think we just passed it. We just passed it. Those I use myself. And then I share with them what I get like out loud. Maybe I'll let them read it after I've read it, but they're not interacting with those on their own. Mainly because, I mean, a lot of the guidance is though, they're meant for 18 and above. And also going back to the notebook LM example, like I prefer things that are built for education, that are built for learning. They're gonna have data privacy and security standard that are important to me, and they're built for learning. So Con Migo is another one by Khan Academy, and Canva for education is another one. They're built for education, they're built for learning. I've seen my kids use them. And but also they're not using them in their room by themselves, right? Like they're using them near me and by me. And and I'll give an example that you know, tools that we use and AI features being embedded, they can come at you know at these surprising points. We've used CapCut for video editing to inspire creativity, and then all of a sudden, they've added the ability to create AI generated images. And and so, you know, I was letting one of my kids use it for creative pursuits, and then now they have access to uploading an image of themselves that can then become something AI generated, which was super interesting to me because I saw how intriguing it is. It's fun, it's cool to them, right? Like she was able to upload a picture and it turned into something really funny and interesting that she could share with a friend. And it was a great teachable moment. Because I was like, you know, I didn't know they had this. Now we need to go read about their data privacy agreement. We need to go read about what they can do with that content. And we talked about it. And and this is where, like, as a parent in the loop, my rules are kind of it's always kind of fluid and changing because now I'm like, okay, new rule. We didn't know we needed this before, but you know, you can't upload your voice, a video or a photo to anything without me knowing. And I'm probably gonna say no.

Amber Ivey:

I think that's a really good point. Back to earlier where you mentioned the pieces or the tips you give that are like things you do in real life. I always tell kids or parents, like, think of it in those ways as well. Like, would you talk to a stranger? Would you give your stranger your address? Would you send a stranger a picture of yourself? AI is a stranger, you don't know it. Maybe notebook LM is a little bit closer and you know it a little better, so you know to give it certain information and you know it's gonna work from that. But you shouldn't be going into some of these new tools or when a new feature comes up, like being able to stay up on that. But back to what I was saying earlier, a bit, you worked in education for a while, and parents and teachers may not feel like they're where they need to be. Why do you think parents and teachers feel like they're still catching up on AI? And are there things they can do to help them level their own like knowledge base or get to a certain point?

Julie Kelleher:

Yeah. I feel like anybody that is working in AI feels like they're trying to catch up with AI. I mean, it's moving so fast that it is nearly impossible to keep up. So I I think my first piece of advice is nobody's an expert because it's changing so fast. And we are all beginners and we are all experimenting just like a new tool comes out or a new feature is added to something. Like Notebook LM a year ago didn't have these baked-in features, but now it does. And so now I'm testing them and I'm exploring them. I would say please don't let, you know, hearing somebody that might have been really tinkering with AI for over two years, let that intimidate you. Instead, figure out ways you can join the conversation and ask questions and ask for resources to get started. There are actually a number of great resources put out by, you know, nonprofits and organizations that are really trying to build AI literacy and then help parents, you know, figure out how they want to introduce it into their families if they do. I have felt overwhelmed at times. I think like everybody's feeling overwhelmed by it. I shouldn't say everybody, but most people are if they're dabbling in it or working in a day by daily. Yeah, most of us are. So embrace it and explore at your own pace and and try not to get FOMO. Like this is something that happens to me. Like I have like four tools that I use daily, and then I hear about somebody else using another tool, and I'm like, I need I need to go learn that one too. I have to like settle myself and realize, no, I gotta just keep working with the ones that I have. We are all new to this, and the newness keeps rolling out at a faster pace. And it's all about kind of like educating ourselves early and often and and figuring out what our parent in the loop preferences are.

Amber Ivey:

And I agree with you, so many different points, but one I wanted to like double tap on is around like when something new comes out, I do get a little bit of FOMO or anxiety around do I need to go learn this new thing. The number of times on LinkedIn where I see someone like post the page of all their AI tools and it's like 50 tools, and I'm like, there's no way. So I'm I'm with you on pick a few that you feel comfortable with and you and your family feel comfortable with, and start there and then see what happens with using those and learning more about those. One of the things that's been interesting to me is like as AI keeps like it feels like it's like moving at the speed of light, even though I know it isn't, but it feels that way. There's a lot of rumors and myths that come up. So, what's one AI myth that totally drives you up the wall?

Julie Kelleher:

So, one one is that AI is gonna take all our jobs. And I okay, let's talk about it. I yes, it is replacing certain jobs. It's gonna change all of our jobs for sure. And I mean, I I went to an engineering school a while ago for college. So I went to an engineering school and I remember in my degree program, it was described as this is for jobs that don't exist yet. And it's true. I mean, the work that I do working on education technology, it didn't exist then. I mean, the internet wasn't even like, you know, readily available to everyone when I first started college. So it's not going to take all of our jobs, but it is gonna change them. And we should feel empowered to learn how it can help us so then we can kind of upskill ourselves to then be able to deliver as much value as we can.

Amber Ivey:

I agree. And I think sometimes people don't think about like the different versions of AI. Like right now, the one that's getting a lot of attention is large language models. The kids would have learned that through our ABCs of AI and what that looks like with Chat GPT, Google, Perplexity, Anthropic, all these different tools. And I don't think those are doing that, and that we're getting better with agents for, like you said, of taking certain jobs or skills. And I think it's just the advancement, right? And I think that's just how we've advanced since the industrial age or even before that. If we got a new tool, something we didn't do it anymore. And that was totally fine. And then you figured out a way to get upskilled in those tools. So I definitely agree with you. And I'm on the more hopeful side as it relates to like continuing to grow and to continue to build those skill sets, but also knowing that parents are probably a little bit nervous about that, especially if they haven't gotten into it. That's why I wanted us to have this conversation so they can also feel comfortable, like, oh, let me go ahead and build a little bit of AI literacy around this. And I know we've been talking a bit about like your rules and your in your house. And I was like, do you think families should have AI house rules? And if so, what's one rule you would add?

Julie Kelleher:

Yeah, I mean, it's a great question. I've actually been thinking about like actually doing a write-up contract because I've done contracts with my kids recently for other things, getting a new pet, for example. But I have been thinking about this and drafting something on the side. I do think that it's important and it kind of goes back to the parent in the loop, right? Like once a parent decides what is their comfort zone and where the boundaries are, then talking about that because it's all about having conversations early and often with kids. And I'll give a you know a great example. We used to like our kids used to play Roblox. I thought it was great. They were able to connect with friends that don't live nearby. And then a few months ago, I was like, we're in a Roblox house. I'm sorry. And here's why. I can't keep you safe on here. You're not doing anything wrong. And I know it's a great way to stay connected, but I just I can't keep you safe. So that's a rule. And because we were able to talk about it, like it didn't turn into this big, terrible thing. And they understand it because they know that safety is my number one priority. And so, I mean, I I definitely think that that families could have them, you know. I don't even want to say should because I'm I'm not gonna give parenting advice, but I've found as I've gotten more into this, and especially as I've deepened my understanding of AI literacy, it's actually helped me be more confident in telling my kids no about things and redefining boundaries as. This new technology changes around us.

Amber Ivey:

My niece is a heavy user, and I send her mom articles on a regular basis. But I like how you were able to implement that in your house. Like we're a neural roblox house, and you were able to talk to your kids about that. Cause I know that can be a big deal for them, especially if they feel like they're being cut off from their friends and what that looks like. So I totally get that. And then for me, if I were to have rules around it, particularly around kids, it's like AI can help with your homework, but maybe not do your homework. Like figuring out what are those different things that you all are cooking with in your family, I think makes total sense. And I wanted to jump back up to something you mentioned earlier around the time framework, especially as we talk about the rules and what that looks like. What do you think are some of the ways that parents can use AI for themselves to save time instead of wasting more time on screens? I'm a big advocate of screen free as much as possible because of the addiction. And I've seen a lot of parents talking about they're trying to reduce screen time. There's a Pew research survey that just came out where most parents are like want to reduce it, but they know it's just hard and they're trying to figure out other ways. But then now you insert this new AI tool. So, how can parents use AI to help them save more time and not sit on these devices as much and then be able to get off and do the things like you said earlier, like be more efficient so you have more time with your kids or more time doing things you want to do?

Julie Kelleher:

Yeah. I mean, I'll give a few examples to help answer it. Really, what it does in my mind, it helps me reclaim time so I can do the things I want to do, which is really be more present with them because the tension is the screen time tension is I'm a working mom, I've got all these things to do, and I need them to be occupied. And so that's kind of how we've all fallen into this. It's a trap. What do I do? So, you know, I don't have an alternative to like giving them something to do when I can't be with them. I haven't figured that part out yet. But on reclaiming time, I mean, one example is like sitting in a waiting room, like at a you know, a doctor's visit. In the past, one of my kids would be like, Can I see your phone? Can I play a game? Can I do learning? And now what I've done is I've actually just asked ChatGPT, and I use voice mode all the time, by the way. If if parents are have not tried this yet, just talk to it and say, Yeah, create a 20 questions game for me for a third grader that loves dinosaurs and let her fill in the blank, unicorns or whatever. And then it's a 20 questions game that I can read out loud or they can read. I feel like that's like productive screen time. So those are just like little micro time savers. And I will say, like, once you start, the curiosity juices just start flowing. So, like, that's one idea. Another one is hey, it's a rainy day here and the sun goes down at 5 p.m. now. Give me 25 screen-free activities that we can do in our house, and this is the stuff we have, or even upload a picture. This is a picture of our like crafts strawer. What are 25 things we can do? And that mental load reduction is so palpable. And then you get an idea and you're like, oh, well, let me try it for this. Let me try it for this. So those are some examples.

Amber Ivey:

One of my former guests, he created the course Generative AI for kids, that has like, who knows, 100 people or part of it now, probably over 100,000 have taken the course. And one of the things he said he does with his son, his son also helps him like teach the course, is that like they use it. His kid loves Guinness World Book of Records. So they take pictures of things and are like, what's the record for this item or or tool or what have you? And they play a game in that way. So there's like an endless amount of things, exponential or infinite amount of things you can do with that. And I think that's super cool. But what if I am a parent who I'm still questioning, like Julie, you know AI and tech way more than me. What's one mom-tested, dad-tested, kid-approved way that I can use AI today?

Julie Kelleher:

One, and this is what I tell, this is like the gateway that I tell anybody. I say, go take a picture of your refrigerator and your pantry and say, I need what like, and then think about what do you need for meals, right? And you could say, All right, give me, looking at these ingredients, give me five meal planning ideas for a picky eater that's allergic to flour, and I need to be able to do it in less than 15 minutes, and I don't want to use an oven or a stove. And 30 seconds later, you get this amazing output. That will take you 10 seconds to do. Take two pictures, make sure there's nothing personal in there. Like, make sure on your fridge there's not a picture of your kids or their names or their report card or anything. But like, so that's another big thing too. Like anything I upload, I anonymize it always. You know, if you are just getting started, you know, mind your files, mind your picks. Like another mom out there taught me that one. But that's a great way to start. Another one is getting it to help you generate a story, bedtime story. Like ask your kid, ask your kid, what are your favorite things? What do you want a bedtime story about? Right. And like the silliness will just, you know, explode. And ask it to create a bedtime story about these three things that takes place in this place, and then it'll generate it. And you could also then say, now ask five questions at the end that I can use to engage my kid. And like these are things that we're already doing as parents. We're already looking at our fridge and our pantry and we're meal planning, but we're probably looking online and we're having to, you know, go through all these ads, and then we're having to like figure out which one we're gonna do, and it does it for you. And then the bedtime story one, you know, maybe the books on the bookshelf have gotten a little stale. You can create a dynamic bedtime story, and your kid can be a leader in that process, and that's pretty fun.

Amber Ivey:

And speaking of fun, what's one of the funniest things that you've heard a kid or even yourself ask an Alexa or a Chat GPT or another AI tool?

Julie Kelleher:

Uh, so two funny ones. So one, I didn't, I actually found this out later. So my younger kid, I'll kind of share the punchline. She was like, you know, I think that Alexa probably knows what God looks like. And I said, Why? How do you know that? She goes, Well, because she lives in the clouds. And I said, Well, how do you know that? And she said, I asked her where she lives. And I was like, Okay, that is that is uh pretty smart. And then we talked about it. I'm like, you know, Alexa's a robot, she doesn't live in the clouds, but that's a really funny question. You know, I think another thing that that parents can learn from kids is like they are naturally curious. And, you know, if we can give them safe passageways to be curious, we can get inspired. You know, curiosity is contagious and we can be inspired by the things that they're asking. And they're asking them in an unguarded way. My older child, we were waiting in the carpool line, and I was, you know, asking, you know, voice chat questions about like probably a meal planning idea. And she grabbed the phone and said, Are you real? Which I thought was really interesting. So it also just kind of shows like developmentally, yeah. I see you responding in written things, like, what are you?

Amber Ivey:

Mm-hmm. And responding pretty quickly, almost like it has its own superpowers. And speaking of superpowers, if you could give AI one superpower within your family dynamic, like finding missing shoes, or like you said, planning dinner, what would it be?

Julie Kelleher:

Well, when I think of superpower, I think like really, really powerful. You know, I still go back to like the thing that's just really distracting us a lot is just keeping things organized, like putting things where they're supposed to go, picking things up from where they are, and you know, inventorying everything that will free up mental clutter for everyone. You know, remembering like, oh, it's a soccer day on Tuesday, here's your soccer bag, and make sure that you have all of your supplies in there. And not doing it for us per se, but like making sure that the person that needs visual cues has the visual cue up there and making sure that the person who needs it written down has it written down. So without knowing us too much, right? Like there's there is this kind of fine line without knowing us too much, but being able to really help us just get from point A to point B effectively without all of the kind of like distractions around us. So then we have more time to be present.

Amber Ivey:

I love that. And more time, like you said, present with the family. But you're already getting my mind thinking about, like you said, you don't want it to know you too much. And the reality is parents are here listening to this today because they're a little bit nervous about the safety and what that looks like. And some parents do not trust AI at all. Like the number of rooms I've been in, or number of responses I've heard, where it's like, don't teach kids AI, do not bring literacy here. What would you tell them?

Julie Kelleher:

So, I mean, it's this is interesting. I mean, I'll share this, but also I went to an internet safety presentation at my child's middle school last week, and somebody from the FBI was there presenting this, right? And it was about internet safety broadly. And the first message was it's here, it's here. And if we don't figure out how they're using it, they're gonna find a backdoor. Or if we try to tell them they can't use it, they're gonna find a backdoor. So we've got to embrace it. And it is, and like it is intimidating and it can be overwhelming and it can be really scary. All those things are true, and there are also great opportunities. I do say that our job description as parents has expanded exponentially. Like our job description has expanded, and we've got to, we've got to step up and understand that. And also it like this has to be a grassroots effort. Like it's not just a village anymore, like this is a global village that is really focused on how do we raise kids to thrive in the age of AI.

Amber Ivey:

100%. And I feel like this is a time where we all have kind of come together around this, whether you agree or disagree with it for use in general, like everyone's trying to make sure, whether through laws in the US or other places that we're trying to figure out, or investments trying to figure out how to do this right for kids, because we've seen some of the things in the past where we may not have done it in the best way, whether it's social media or screens in general with addiction and what have you, we weren't thinking about dopamine and all that when we were like handing a kid a tablet. Like you said, we're trying to give them something to do or help them learn a different way. So there's all these things that are happening. And because kids do have access to screens, tablets, and Alexa and all these other tools, when a person sees something bad happen or within a chatbot or a chatbot says something weird, what should the kid and the parent do in that instance?

Julie Kelleher:

So, I mean, the kid should tell the parent, just like they're taught in their physical world, right? Like if you hear that a kid says something dangerous at school or has something dangerous, tell a trusted adult. Same thing. Like if you're interacting with this AI tool and it starts to feel weird, trust your intuition and tell a trusted adult. And then parents, you know, it's a tricky one. It depends on the nature of it, really. That's a trickier one because it really depends on how egregious whatever is happening is. And I think that if I just think of one example, let's say that there was an AI tool that, you know, told a child to do something that was not a good thing to do, maybe cause harm to somebody else, right? Or steal something. And the kid told the parent, I would say keep the evidence, keep the paper trail. You know, make sure that you're documenting this because those are the things that we need that will ultimately help inform policy, hopefully, and accountability. And one actually thing I wanted to bring up, because you mentioned, you know, how do we help parents? And I feel like I've probably over-indexed on like it's overwhelming for everyone. What I do want to say is we talked about notebook LM for kids. Use it too for parents. Like it is such a great way to, if you really want to understand what's going on with AI literacy and somebody shared this 30-page paper with you, upload that to Notebook LM and choose your learning style. And you could ask for a podcast to describe it, a five-minute video to describe it, or if it's a topic that you need to debate because you're not sure what your point of view is, you can debate as well. I've even had I've had a debate while walking my dog talking to Chat GPT about Sora too. Because I was like, I got fired up when it came out because I did not think that a watermark was enough. And I was like, I how do I handle this? I gotta like have a conversation about it. And I got in a debate and I was able to challenge and push back. And then at the end, I was like, now write up our summary. And that was like, one, it was really cathartic for me. And two, it helped me crystallize my point of view, and it helped me get more informed. So, like, you can use AI tools, adults can use AI tools for their own learning and development. And I would say start with Notebook LM.

Amber Ivey:

And I know we're coming to the end of our time, and it's been such a great opportunity to talk with you. And I'm learning a bunch and about how to think about it. I love your family, your choice. I love the tips that you've given parents. What do you hope, like a mother AI, teaches families about the future?

Julie Kelleher:

So, my vision is to really empower parents and guardians and anyone working with kids to be able to help kids discern so they can use it safely. So, discern meaning like, you know, determine is this a safe thing to use or not a safe thing to use, so they can also reap the benefits. So we all want our kids to thrive. And I want to empower people by providing access to resources, to community, to, you know, you know, being somebody that they can ask questions to and I can point them in, you know, directions that I think are valuable. But it's it's really all about empowerment. And, you know, I came up with the name because I'm like, I partner with AI like a marketer, like an entrepreneur, like a mother. And these are ways that I just want to share with others how I'm benefiting from it. And, you know, when I use it like a mother, I also need to really understand the responsible use, the ethical use, the data privacy, data security components, because you know, our kids are our most precious humans and they're also our most vulnerable.

Amber Ivey:

Is there any advice you want to leave with parents and give them about AI or anything else we may not have talked about that you want to make sure you share with the parents?

Julie Kelleher:

I would say just don't be afraid to start. Don't be afraid to get curious. And if you're not sure where to start, ask trusted people. I mean, if you're listening to this, you trust Amber. Ask Amber where to start. I'm happy. I've got resources that are, you know, are free and for people to use. I'm happy to share them. There are a lot of things out there, a lot of resources that are great, which also might be overwhelming. So just start, start small, ask somebody you trust, just like a referral for a trip, right? If I want to go to Japan, I'm gonna first probably ask somebody who's been there, who's got, you know, who's interested in the same things. Right. Um treat it the same way.

Amber Ivey:

Julie, thank you so much for joining us today. You've truly shown us that learning about AI is a grassroots effort, not just about tech experts. It actually requires families to come together, classrooms to come together. So, kids, tonight's challenge, please, if you happen to listen to this with your parent and the parent did not do it alone, or parents, work with your kids on this. Teach your parents one cool thing you've learned about AI either today or at school or this week or what have you. Because just like we want you to stay curious, your parents are curious too. Thank you all so much. And Julie, thank you again, and we'll see you next time. Bye bye. Thank you for joining us as we explore the fascinating world of artificial intelligence. Don't keep this adventure to yourself. Download it, share it with your friends, and let everyone else in on the fun. Subscribe wherever you get your podcast or on YouTube. See you next time on AI for kids.

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Amber Ivey (AI)

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