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Khaleej Times
22-07-2025
- Science
- Khaleej Times
Anxious parents face tough choices on artificial intelligence
When it comes to AI, many parents navigate between fear of the unknown and fear of their children missing out. "It's really hard to predict anything over five years," said Adam Tal, an Israeli marketing executive and father of two boys aged seven and nine, when describing the post-generative AI world. Tal is "very worried" about the future this technology holds for his children -- whether it's deepfakes, "the inability to distinguish between reality and AI," or "the thousands of possible new threats that I wasn't trained to detect." Mike Brooks, a psychologist from Austin, Texas, who specializes in parenting and technology, worries that parents are keeping their heads in the sand, refusing to grapple with AI. "They're already overwhelmed with parenting demands," he observed, and "just trying to get them out of their rooms and into the real world." For Marc Watkins, a professor at the University of Mississippi who focuses on AI in teaching, "we've already gone too far" to shield children from AI past a certain age. Yet some parents are still trying to remain gatekeepers to the technology. "In my circle of friends and family, I'm the only one exploring AI with my child," remarked Melissa Franklin, mother of a 7-year-old boy and law student in Kentucky. "I don't understand the technology behind AI," she said, "but I know it's inevitable, and I'd rather give my son a head start than leave him overwhelmed." 'Benefits and risks' The path is all the more difficult for parents given the lack of scientific research on AI's effects on users. Several parents cite a study published in June by MIT, showing that brain activity and memory were more stimulated in individuals not using generative AI than in those who had access to it. "I'm afraid it will become a shortcut," explained a father of three who preferred to remain anonymous. "After this MIT study, I want them to use it only to deepen their knowledge." This caution shapes many parents' approaches. Tal prefers to wait before letting his sons use AI tools. Melissa Franklin only allows her son to use AI with her supervision to find information "we can't find in a book, through Google, or on YouTube." For her, children must be encouraged to "think for themselves," with or without AI. But one father -- a computer engineer with a 15-year-old -- doesn't believe kids will learn AI skills from their parents anyway. "That would be like claiming that kids learn how to use TikTok from their parents," he said. It's usually "the other way around." Watkins, himself a father, says he is "very concerned" about the new forms that generative AI is taking, but considers it necessary to read about the subject and "have in-depth conversations about it with our children." "They're going to use artificial intelligence," he said, "so I want them to know the potential benefits and risks." The CEO of AI chip giant Nvidia, Jensen Huang, often speaks of AI as "the greatest equalization force that we have ever known," democratizing learning and knowledge. But Watkins fears a different reality: "Parents will view this as a technology that will be used if you can afford it, to get your kid ahead of everyone else." The computer scientist father readily acknowledged this disparity, saying "My son has an advantage because he has two parents with PhDs in computer science, but that's 90 percent due to the fact that we are more affluent than average" -- not their AI knowledge. "That does have some pretty big implications," Watkins said.
Malay Mail
22-07-2025
- Science
- Malay Mail
Shield or prepare? Parents weigh how and when to expose kids to AI
NEW YORK, July 22 — When it comes to AI, many parents navigate between fear of the unknown and fear of their children missing out. 'It's really hard to predict anything over five years,' said Adam Tal, an Israeli marketing executive and father of two boys aged seven and nine, when describing the post-generative AI world. Tal is 'very worried' about the future this technology holds for his children — whether it's deepfakes, 'the inability to distinguish between reality and AI,' or 'the thousands of possible new threats that I wasn't trained to detect.' Mike Brooks, a psychologist from Austin, Texas, who specialises in parenting and technology, worries that parents are keeping their heads in the sand, refusing to grapple with AI. 'They're already overwhelmed with parenting demands,' he observed — from online pornography and TikTok to video games and 'just trying to get them out of their rooms and into the real world.' For Marc Watkins, a professor at the University of Mississippi who focuses on AI in teaching, 'we've already gone too far' to shield children from AI past a certain age. Yet some parents are still trying to remain gatekeepers to the technology. 'In my circle of friends and family, I'm the only one exploring AI with my child,' remarked Melissa Franklin, mother of a 7-year-old boy and law student in Kentucky. 'I don't understand the technology behind AI,' she said, 'but I know it's inevitable, and I'd rather give my son a head start than leave him overwhelmed.' 'Benefits and risks' The path is all the more difficult for parents given the lack of scientific research on AI's effects on users. Several parents cite a study published in June by MIT, showing that brain activity and memory were more stimulated in individuals not using generative AI than in those who had access to it. 'I'm afraid it will become a shortcut,' explained a father of three who preferred to remain anonymous. 'After this MIT study, I want them to use it only to deepen their knowledge.' This caution shapes many parents' approaches. Tal prefers to wait before letting his sons use AI tools. Melissa Franklin only allows her son to use AI with her supervision to find information 'we can't find in a book, through Google, or on YouTube.' For her, children must be encouraged to 'think for themselves,' with or without AI. But one father — a computer engineer with a 15-year-old — doesn't believe kids will learn AI skills from their parents anyway. 'That would be like claiming that kids learn how to use TikTok from their parents,' he said. It's usually 'the other way around.' Watkins, himself a father, says he is 'very concerned' about the new forms that generative AI is taking, but considers it necessary to read about the subject and 'have in-depth conversations about it with our children.' 'They're going to use artificial intelligence,' he said, 'so I want them to know the potential benefits and risks.' The CEO of AI chip giant Nvidia, Jensen Huang, often speaks of AI as 'the greatest equalisation force that we have ever known,' democratising learning and knowledge. But Watkins fears a different reality: 'Parents will view this as a technology that will be used if you can afford it, to get your kid ahead of everyone else.' The computer scientist father readily acknowledged this disparity, saying 'My son has an advantage because he has two parents with PhDs in computer science, but that's 90 per cent due to the fact that we are more affluent than average' — not their AI knowledge. 'That does have some pretty big implications,' Watkins said. — AFP
France 24
22-07-2025
- Science
- France 24
Anxious parents face tough choices on AI
"It's really hard to predict anything over five years," said Adam Tal, an Israeli marketing executive and father of two boys aged seven and nine, when describing the post-generative AI world. Tal is "very worried" about the future this technology holds for his children -- whether it's deepfakes, "the inability to distinguish between reality and AI," or "the thousands of possible new threats that I wasn't trained to detect." Mike Brooks, a psychologist from Austin, Texas, who specializes in parenting and technology, worries that parents are keeping their heads in the sand, refusing to grapple with AI. "They're already overwhelmed with parenting demands," he observed -- from online pornography and TikTok to video games and "just trying to get them out of their rooms and into the real world." For Marc Watkins, a professor at the University of Mississippi who focuses on AI in teaching, "we've already gone too far" to shield children from AI past a certain age. Yet some parents are still trying to remain gatekeepers to the technology. "In my circle of friends and family, I'm the only one exploring AI with my child," remarked Melissa Franklin, mother of a 7-year-old boy and law student in Kentucky. "I don't understand the technology behind AI," she said, "but I know it's inevitable, and I'd rather give my son a head start than leave him overwhelmed." 'Benefits and risks' The path is all the more difficult for parents given the lack of scientific research on AI's effects on users. Several parents cite a study published in June by MIT, showing that brain activity and memory were more stimulated in individuals not using generative AI than in those who had access to it. "I'm afraid it will become a shortcut," explained a father of three who preferred to remain anonymous. "After this MIT study, I want them to use it only to deepen their knowledge." This caution shapes many parents' approaches. Tal prefers to wait before letting his sons use AI tools. Melissa Franklin only allows her son to use AI with her supervision to find information "we can't find in a book, through Google, or on YouTube." For her, children must be encouraged to "think for themselves," with or without AI. But one father -- a computer engineer with a 15-year-old -- doesn't believe kids will learn AI skills from their parents anyway. "That would be like claiming that kids learn how to use TikTok from their parents," he said. It's usually "the other way around." Watkins, himself a father, says he is "very concerned" about the new forms that generative AI is taking, but considers it necessary to read about the subject and "have in-depth conversations about it with our children." "They're going to use artificial intelligence," he said, "so I want them to know the potential benefits and risks." The CEO of AI chip giant Nvidia, Jensen Huang, often speaks of AI as "the greatest equalization force that we have ever known," democratizing learning and knowledge. But Watkins fears a different reality: "Parents will view this as a technology that will be used if you can afford it, to get your kid ahead of everyone else." The computer scientist father readily acknowledged this disparity, saying "My son has an advantage because he has two parents with PhDs in computer science, but that's 90 percent due to the fact that we are more affluent than average" -- not their AI knowledge. "That does have some pretty big implications," Watkins said.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
Here's why this North Thurston middle school was locked out last week
Chinook Middle School and other schools were briefly locked out last week after a suspect, fleeing from Washington State Patrol troopers and Thurston County Sheriff's deputies, ditched his vehicle nearby. That suspect is still at large, said Sheriff's Lt. Mike Brooks on Sunday. Chinook Middle School families received this message about noon Tuesday, May 20: 'Due to police activity in the area, the Lacey Police Department has advised us to initiate a lockout,' the email reads. 'All exterior doors to the school are currently locked. We are in communication with the Lacey Police Department and awaiting further instructions. Please be assured that all students are safe. We will update you when we have more information.' The lockout was lifted shortly thereafter, according to a follow-up email from the school. Sheriff Derek Sanders explained what happened in a social media post, saying that Chehalis police had advised them that the driver of an H3 Hummer, who allegedly was casing houses, then fled north on Interstate 5. 'A short time later, WSP attempted to stop the Hummer and a pursuit was initiated. Near the 110 mile marker, the Hummer slammed on the brakes, turned around, and began driving the wrong way down I-5,' Sanders wrote. He said the driver crossed the median, fled toward College Street and ditched his vehicle. Lacey police Sgt. Jeremy Knight said Sunday that location was near North Thurston Public Schools' district headquarters, which triggered the lockout. Other schools in the area also were briefly locked out, a district spokeswoman said Sunday. According to a photo released by the Sheriff's Office, the man was last seen in a sleeveless black shirt, black short pants, red socks and black sneakers. He also has tattoos on both arms. His hair was tied up in a bun, the photo shows. Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to call the Thurston non-emergency dispatch line at 360-704-2740.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Texas lawmaker files bill to regulate artificial intelligence in therapy, counseling
AUSTIN (KXAN) — You can ask an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot just about anything. It's technology that can give you real-time answers. But what happens when this technology is used for counseling and therapy? RELATED COVERAGE: Texas lawmaker files bill to regulate artificial intelligence A Texas lawmaker proposed a bill to regulate AI in mental health services. State Rep. Nate Schatzline, R-Fort Worth, filed House Bill 1265. The legislation outlines requirements for testing and approval of AI applications used in mental health services. It requires that people must know the services are AI-based and give consent. The bill also calls for people providing these services to be licensed professionals or a licensed professional must be available at all times. 'It needs some level of oversight, and we have to have reliability checks.' Dr. Mike Brooks, Licensed Psychologist Austin Psychologist Dr. Mike Brooks said he's cautiously exploring the idea of using AI with clients. 'Just starting to work with clients on how to integrate AI into their lives, but with a lot of care,' Brooks said. 'There's got to be guard rails and kind of the do's and don'ts and a lot of disclaimers and caveats, consents on the front end, so people know what they're getting into.' RELATED COVERAGE: Texas legislation considers AI rules for health insurance claims Brooks said AI can offer practical solutions for real-world problems. 'Whether it's anxiety, depression, ADHD, relationship problems,' Brooks said. 'Take that to the AI and say, 'Hey, this is going on. You know, I'm wondering if you could help me with it and give me some ideas.'' RELATED COVERAGE: Artificial Intelligence app health questionnaires good at unveiling depression But ultimately, he stressed the importance of having a professional's insight as well. 'When you start getting into, I don't know, childhood trauma or something like that, there's a lot of things that could go south with AI,' Brooks said. 'I would be in favor of AI assisted therapy that has a therapist guiding, and they're going through things together.' When it comes to privacy protocols, Brooks said he wouldn't ever put identifying information about a client into an AI system. Instead, he said he would give a broad example and simply ask AI to offer some of the latest research that might be helpful for that situation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
