Commentary
There are genuinely useful ways the technology can help with this. But Sam Altman’s ChatGPT tips are not among them, says the Financial Times’ Robert Shrimsley.
All parents have wanted a bit of breathing space from their children. But trading away storytime or conversation to some AI model is bonkers. (File photo: iStock/rudi_suardi)
10 Aug 2026 05:59AM
LONDON: Sam Altman is in the early stages of parenthood so we should probably cut him a bit of slack. The OpenAI chief and frontman for ChatGPT is still learning how things work with the original and greatest large language model of all time: little children. His 18-month-old son probably has only a few words at the moment but from here on in the speed of development is astonishing. In a few months, he will be able to tell Sam exactly where he can stick the stewed apple.Which is pretty much the response Altman got to a weekend social media post raving about a “cool use of chatgpt”.What was this exciting idea? Well, said Sam, connect your family calendars and explain your kids’ interests, and every morning on the drive to school ChatGPT could create a podcast that talks about “the kid’s soccer game that afternoon or an upcoming birthday, some news etc”.Naturally, Sam got roasted for his helpful suggestion. “Or you could just try talking to your kids” was a pretty standard reply.
