{"id":42754,"date":"2025-02-28T08:02:08","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T15:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/?p=42754"},"modified":"2025-10-28T17:58:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T23:58:18","slug":"raising-ai-generation-shifting-family-bonds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/sexuality-family\/family-matters\/raising-ai-generation-shifting-family-bonds\/","title":{"rendered":"The Allure of Automation: AI\u2019s Intrusion on Parental and Family Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is our next article in our Proclamation series. To read the last one: Why Marriage, Sex and Family are Keys to Sanctification<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019m still startled by an electronically declared \u201cHello, Master\u201d whenever I turn on my truck. <\/span>The artificial intelligence sweeping our society impacts me daily with a casual, \u201cHey, let me do that for you\u201d or \u201cI\u2019ve got this\u201d availability when I pick up my mobile device or log online. <\/span>W<\/span>hile technology connects us in infinite ways, the physical and psychological effects of <\/span>reduced<\/span><\/a> in-person, one-on-one relationships<\/span> loom large, <\/span>potentially<\/span> impacting individuals, families, and the broader society.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The prospect of singularity caused me to consider artificial intelligence\u2019s potential impact on parental relationships and the doctrinal verities of agency and truth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Approaching Singularity<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/span>AI advances will offer even more opportunities to intertwine self and technology. Artificial intelligence is defined as \u201cthe <\/span>simulation of human intelligence processes<\/span><\/a> by machines, especially computer systems\u201d or \u201cautomation based on <\/span>associations<\/span><\/a>.\u201d Those simulations and associations are astonishing.

The more far-reaching, socially-shifting aspects of AI may require increased engagement by involved parents.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div><\/span>\u00a0Artificial intelligence\u2019s rapid advancement causes most technology experts<\/a> to predict that singularity will happen in the near future<\/a> as AI\u2019s capacities surpass human cognitive capabilities enabling its autonomous function. For now, technology right out of the movies to real life materialized in the form of brain-computer interfaces<\/a> which enable a neurally-linked brain implant to translate a person\u2019s neural signals into computer commands<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>In 1999, technological prophet <\/span>Ray Kurzweil<\/span><\/a> predicted AI would impersonate human beings by 2029, asserting that <\/span>Artificial General Intelligence<\/span><\/a>, or AI with the <\/span>ability to reason<\/span><\/a>, will soon be a reality and promising that by 2029 \u201cAI will be \u2018<\/span>better than all humans<\/span><\/a>,\u2019 in \u2018every skill possessed by any human.\u2019\u201d Noting humans\u2019 propensity for failure and weakness, Kurzweil optimistically looks forward to AI-enhanced and linked minds and bodies. \u201cIf we can meet the scientific, ethical, social and political challenges posed by these advances, we will transform life on earth profoundly for the better. …<\/span> [Humans] are far from optimal, especially with regard to thinking.\u201d Kurzweil advocates for <\/span>transhumanism<\/span><\/a> \u201cwhere we are partly organic tissue and partly mechanical parts, the natural progression will be toward greater and greater dependence on ever more rapid computer-augmented thinking and consciousness.\u201d For Kurzweil, transhumanism enables <\/span>immortality<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Singularity and Parenting\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/span>As AI advances forward, a flurry of articles and books about its foreseen impact on parenting<\/span> emerge. \u201cThe rapid acceleration of AI capabilities signals a paradigm shift where <\/span>traditional models of parental engagement<\/span> may no longer suffice.\u201d\u00a0 A paradigm shift isn\u2019t necessarily negative. Certainly<\/span>,<\/span> every generation experiencing technological advances adjusts its parenting styles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Parents embracing AI find <\/span>tools<\/span><\/a> to more effectively manage time, automate repetitive tasks, monitor and enhance their family\u2019s health and safety, and receive recommendations specific to their particular famil<\/span>y\u2019s <\/span>circumstances. And while incredibly convenient apps exist to streamline the <\/span>everyday household\u2019s<\/span> functionality, the more far-reaching, socially-shifting aspects of AI may require increased engagement by involved parents. In studying the family response to interactive AI, Druga, Christoph, and Ko suggest eight <\/span>roles parents<\/span><\/a> play as they navigate AI with their children: cheerleader, mediator, mentor, student, teacher, observer, tinkerer, and collaborator.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Some not-too-far-in-the-future hypothetical scenarios parents may face could include these proposed by <\/span>Murch\u00fa<\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n