Episode 428: Navigating AI as a Homeschool Family with Nancy Manos

Welcome back to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! Today we’re joined by speaker, blogger, podcaster, and homeschool mom Nancy Manos to talk about a topic that seems to be everywhere right now: Artificial Intelligence.

We discuss the potential benefits of AI for homeschool families, from helping with lesson planning and brainstorming to preparing our kids for the future, but we also talk about the dangers, especially when it comes to our children’s learning, critical thinking, and relationships. So how do we take advantage of this new technology without letting it take the place of real learning and human connection?

Nancy shares why she believes we need to be part of the conversation, how parents can approach AI wisely, and why we don’t need to live in fear of the changing world around us. It was a great conversation, and we hope you enjoy it!

We want to thank Teaching Textbooks for supporting the Smiling Homeschooler. We truly think they are one of the best math curriculums out there, and if you don’t already use them, you should! Check out a free trial at teachingtextbooks.com.

Today’s show is also underwritten by Samaritan Ministries and Redeem HealthShare. Their Members are committed to honoring Christ and serving one another through health care needs. As Todd likes to say, “We use, love, and recommend Samaritan Ministries. You can learn more about REDEEM HealthShare at SamaritanMinistries.org/familyman

Have a great week and don’t forget to smile! 

Podcast Transcript

Hey, everyone.Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler podcast.We’re good to be back.It’s been a couple weeks.Uh, we were on vacation, which we’ll get into, I’m sure, in a minute here.Uh, and we also have a special guest who I’ll introduce in just a second.Uh, but before we begin, we do wanna say thank you, as always, to Teaching Textbooks for making The Smiling Homeschooler possible.Um, they’re the math curriculum that our family uses currently, I used growing up, and we’ve recommended to thousands of homeschooling families.So if you haven’t checked them out or if you need to make a change in your math, uh, go check them out at teachingtextbooks.com.Today’s show is also underwritten by Samaritan Ministries and Redeem Health Share, where members are committed to honoring Christ and serving one another through healthcare needs.As, uh, Todd likes to say, we use, love, and recommend Samaritan Ministries, and you can learn more about Redeem Health Share at samaritanministries.org/familyman.Um, but Dad, if you’re ready, go ahead and get started.Let’s go.Well, it is good to be back in the saddle again.We’ve been on vacation for at least a coupleWe haven’t been on vacation- Rightfor a couple weeks, but we’ve been taking it easy.And right now my lips are sticky because I have been eating probably some of the best donuts in the entire world.They’re like sourdough, glazed, w- uh, still a little warm.Ugh.I, I l- I started off with, like, a quarter of a donut, and I polished off the whole donut a quarter at a time.And, uh, we have a special guest.W- I wanna enter her into the conversation right off the bat.Um, she’s almost as far away from me as a person can get.Um, Nancy Manos is all the way from Arizona.And, uh, Nancy, it is a pleasure to have you with us, and I was wondering, as I’m licking my lips here, d- do you, like, have a really good donut place there where you live?You know, I don’t eat a ton of sugar, so I haven’t discovered one.Oh, man.Have you always not been a sugar person?No.Sugar is actually my, my weak spot.So I’m trying to behave.Well, you know, uh, Zan Tyler, ’cause we’ve had her on the show before, and one of my favorite Zan Tyler stories is w- we saw her in New Mexico.I bet you this was 10 years ago.And she was trying to control her intake of those things, and she said, “Oh,” but she said, “I bought a, a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts to take home and share,” and she said, “I ate 6 of them in the car.”I just thought that was so That’s impressive.I don’t know if I could do that.Love it.That’s awesome.Well, we’re just gonna kinda jump in.Well, maybe we can talk about our vacations another time, Ben.Um, but we did have a g- a great vacation, and it was so refreshing.And my mom, I was talking to her on the telephone, and she said, “Oh, was it rel- relaxing?”And I’m like, “I, I don’t think it was relaxing,” you know?’Cause we had all our kids and all our grandkids, and they were all there.We all drove, you know, 1,000 miles down to Florida in 5 veh- vehicles with 3 campers, and I was stressed out the whole time wondering if we were all gonna get there, and every time someone called me on the phone, you know, I’m like, “Oh, no, they’re broken down.”And they’d go, “Dad, it’s okay.”And so I knew it was okay.Um, but my mom asked and she goes, “Was it refreshing?”I’m like, “Uh, I don’t think that’s really the word.”Really, it’s just the time of g- togetherness, and that was wonderful.Um, and then we need a vacation once we get home.Yeah, exactly.Um, but, uh, you know, like I already said, we have Nancy with us today, and Nancy, we’re gonna talk about AI in just a little bit.But maybe just a, uh, a brief introdu- introduction ’cause you’ve been in the homeschool circles for a while.I’ve known you for a long time.Tell us about, a little bit about your family, how you got into homeschooling in the first place, and where that journey’s led you now maybe.Awesome.Well, I have 2 daughters that we homeschooled from preschool through high school, and we got introduced to the idea of homeschooling.We were, we were living in Minnesota.So we’re originally from Minnesota.We lived in the frozen tundra, and then we moved to Arizona, so now we live on the surface of the sun.It’s an awesome, uh- Like extremesyou know- Mm-hmmtransition.Um, I prefer it here ’cause in the summer- Woweven when it’s 117, the skies are blue, palm trees, air conditioning.Uh, that’s better than- Sun- and sunshine does do something for your soul300 and some days- Ohof sunshine a year.Mm.But we were living in Minnesota, and there was a couple at our church that had 2 boys that were a few years older than our daughters, and we’d spend time with them, and- There was just something different about their family where- Hmmlike, we’d walk in the house and the boys would say, “Oh, Mrs.Manos, how was your day?”and, “Mr.Manos, how was your work trip?”And, um, and there was something sweet in their family.Like, I loved- Hmmtheir relationships, and, you know, they, they weren’t afraid to talk to grown-ups like regular people, and they really liked their parents and one another.And so that was kind of our introduction to a homeschooling family, and we really made the decision because we thought, “Well, we’re accountable to God for raising our children.”Hmm.It’s a lot easier if they’re actually with us all day.Um, and so that’s kinda how we got started, and I never looked back.Quitting was never an option.Um, it doesn’t mean it was always easy or fun.We didn’t always like each other, um, but- Mm-hmmwe had a lot of fun, and they were some of the, like, 14 best years of my life.Hmm.So, yeah, it was great.Well, IBut I’ve seen kind of a transition because Nancy is super high-energy.She’s super capable.She was involved with, uh, AFH- AFHE.That’s the right w- letters, right?There’s a lot of letters in the country.I, I hope this is it.That’s true.For, for Arizona, the Arizona Homeschool Convention.And man, if you live in that area, or even if you don’t live in that area, and you want a great convention to go to, you should, you should be a par- plan to go and be a part of that.So that’s where I would see your name.That’s where I would see you, and then I’d see you around, you know, uh, the, the, the national homeschool scene.And then I started seeing your name attached to the 2 little letters AI, and I thought, “Wow, is this a one-time knockoff?”And then I saw it again.And, and so what’s, what has been thatI don’t wanna say fascination, ’cause I don’t know if it’s fascination, but maybe what has been this thing that has drawn your attention to AI, and what are you d- what are you doing with it?Yeah, so it’s really interesting ’cause I’ve always loved technology.Um, my husband is a computer science major, a technologist.He’s always been in the tech industry.Um, and you know, Todd, you and I are old enough to remember the internet, uh, the advent of the internet.Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.Um, but I’ve always- The computer.Right.Oh my gosh, yes.So, uh, you know, there’s just always been that I’ve always loved computers, technology, tools, apps- Hmmthat kind of thing.And you know, like you said, I didA James and I served on the board of directors for AFHE for 16 years.I ran the homeschool convention here for 8 years.I’ve been part of the national homeschool organization for state homeschool leaders, uh, since 2005.Hmm.And now I’m running that conference.And so, like s- and I love to speak, and I, I just love to encourage parents.There’s somethingYou know, I’m done homeschooling.My youngest graduated in 2011, but I’m still excited about homeschooling- Hmmand encouraging families.And so what I was noticing in, like, Facebook groups and things was whenever, especially Christian homeschoolers were talking about AI, it was like, “It’s the Antichrist.It’s the devil.It’s bad.We should not have anything to do with it.”And I thought, “Okay, well, maybe some of that’s true,” but I feel like we should be part of the conversation.WeThese are tools that are already embedded in pretty much everything.If you have a smartphone- Hmmyou have AI.If you’ve used a streaming service, you’ve used AI.If you use a bankYou know, there, there’s so many things.If you’ve used navigation, AI is involved in everything.Perhaps you’ve noticed when you check your email that it gives you a little summary.Okay, that’s AI.Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.So AI is in, kind of baked into everything.And so- I feel violated, by the way, when it gives a summary of my- I knowemails.Like, I’m gonna read it anyway.Right.Yes, yes.I like to read all the words, not just- Uh-huhgratitude was expressed.That’s right.Yeah, exactly.Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.So that’s kinda how I, I, I got involved or interested, and I use AI tools.Claude’s probably my favorite.I also use ChatGPT.I’ve used image-generating AI tools.I’ve used Suno to make songs, you know, things like that.And so I just thought, “We should not be absent from this conversation.”And I think because either parents are already using it for their jobs, especially dads, or, you know, there’s a lot of families that are like, “Oh, I don’t know.I’m s- I’m nervous about it.”So we should be preparing our kids for the future that they actually have.So that’s kinda how it all got started, and I thought, there’s lots of peopleI’m no expert.I love AI tools.Um, I’m an optimist about technology.But there’s lots of people who are smarter than me that I could have conversations with.So I did launch a podcast earlier this year- Yeahcalled AI and Your Homeschool.So I guess kind of maybe what are some of the topics so far?And, you know, I mean, obviously there’sI mean, I’ll be honest.I work in, uh, the tech space.I work in, uh, an IT company, and I’m a service manager there.So, you know, especially these last few weeksI mean, it’s, it’s been years now at this point, but it’s ramped the last few weeks just ’cause my boss is, uhHad to replace his as- his person- his actual, physical, like, human assistant with he’s now going full bore, “I’m gonna have an AI assistant completely.”And so, uh, as someone who’s helping with a lot of that kind of stuff, it just, it’s nonstop.So I’ve had a lot of conversations about it as well.Uh, it, it, it’s nonstop.But, so I guess, you know, from the negatives and positive standpoint, um, I guess what is your initial approach, you know, to a family?And especially maybe, I was also thinking about, like, age ranges too, of, like, how do you incorporate in, it into homeschooling?Are you thinking, like, um, you know, teaching, using it with your kids already?Or, you know, at what age is that?Like, I guess, just, uh, what’s your overall approach then, I guess, to the, uh, to implementing it in homeschooling so far?And then we’ll talk more specifically about positives and negatives after that maybe.Sure.Well, it’s gonna sound funny, but I think the things we need to be teaching our kids have 0 things to do with technology in order to prepare them for the technology-driven world ahead of them.So they need to have a good base of knowledge.They need to know history and science and literature and the Bible, and they need to know, um, how to research and how to ask good questions.They need to have great skills that, like I said- Mm-hmmhave nothing to do with technology because it, you know, the tools change.You, if you have teenagers, I would not be having young children using AI, um, and we can talk more about that.But I think, y- you know, if you have your older kids, your teenagers interact with an AI tool, they need to know, “Is the answer it gave me true?”Mm-hmm.”How do I know if it’s true?Where do I go to figure this out?What kind of questions do I need to ask?”Um, because it will sound confidently true, and it can be flat-out wrong.Um, and so those are some of the things that I think to start with.And then, of course, there are ways to introduce it, but I think it’s a great tool for moms and dads to use.Well, I think, you know, and that’s really one of the reasons why you, you, we wanted to teach biology so that when they saw an AI-created image, that he could tell a person with 6 fingers- Yeahor 3 arms-it might not be right.Correct.Yeah.Yeah.I mean, I guess, so from the positive standpoint, you know, especially you mentioned, like, moms and dads being able to use it in homeschooling, have you any, uh, practical examples yet that, you know, that you, you think are really helpful for you or for moms that you’ve interacted with?Uh, what are some of the- Yeahways that you think are positive in, in taking advantage of it?Well, we’ve had several guests on my podcast, and then I did a solo episode where I kinda dug into 10 ways that you could use AI- Wowto help you as a homeschool parent.So think about, like, what is the most annoying thing, um, as a homeschool parent?It’s that your kids are hungry all the time.Like, you fed them breakfast, a snack, lunch, a snack, and now they want dinner again.Mm.You know?Like, so, like, menu planning is a great way to use an AI chatbot, um, ChatGPT or Claude.And I love the tools.You know, you can use it on your phone where you can just talk to it.You don’t even have to type anything.Um, but it could be brainstorming.Maybe you have a kid you’re teaching, um, you know, an English lesson, and they’re just not getting, you know, whatever it is.You can ask AI, um, “Give me some different ways to approach this so that, you know, I can help my child understand,” or, um, you know, planning field trips.I love, you know, if you’re stan- studying maybe the Wild West.We live in Arizona.Um, ask ChatGPT or Claude or one of those, “What are some venues or field trip opportunities in my area coming up over the next month or 2 that would go with the thing we’re studying?”You know, so it can do research for you, and there’s just- Mmso many different ways.Um, the sky is kind of the limit.I know that even Ben kind of introduced me to ChatGPT, um, when I wasI told him, I said, “I, I think I’m ri- gonna write an article.See if I can retell the story of Swiss Family Robinson in 400 words.”And I said- That’s it”I think I can do it.”And, uh, you know, just kinda give you, like, to a just child.They could get an overview, you know, feel it, not just give the, the highlights.And Ben said, “Oh, I can do it right now.”And I’m like, “How?”And on his phone he said, “Here, I’ll just put it in,” and he put it third grade level.And, I mean, it was, it was great.It was- Yeahso good.It was amazing.Yeah.Here’s mySo yeah, and we’ll get, uh, maybe- I could tell Ben was working on this.I could just tell, his whole facial muscles are like- Yeah.Well, uh, actually, before we do that, though, we should do a quick ad, and then we’ll- Okaywe’ll get into maybe some of the negative sides- It’s totally AIto some ofYeah, yeah.Right here.Go ahead.Yeah, exactly.But, uh, we do wanna say thank you to Teaching Textbooks and just the amazing math curriculum they are and for supporting The Smiling Homeschooler and just the, the homeschool g- um, community as a whole.Um, but if you are, if your child is struggling in math, not enjoying math, you just feel like you’re, um, you don’t have enough time juggling all the different kids and age groups, and you need something to be just a little bit maybe more independent, Teaching Textbooks is a great option for that.Uh, your child can do it from basically any device that has an internet browser.Um, and it’s, uh, engaging.It’s, um, simple to use, and, you know, they can do it pretty much on their own.So, um, go check ’em out over at teachingtextbooks.com.We really appreciate their support.And we also wanna thank Samaritan Ministries and Redeem Health Shares.Uh, you know, the truth is you can’t ignore it any longer.Fall is here, and winter’s not far behind.Healthcare is kinda like that.We’d like to ignore it and pretend it won’t be a problem, but then something happens, and it’s gotta be faced.That’s why today is a good time to check out Samaritan Ministries and Redeem Health Share.It’s Christians helping other Christians pay one another’s medical bills.For over 15 years we’ve been members and love being part of it.Uh, I’m telling you, it works.So i- if you’ve been ignoring the feeling that your family needs a change when it comes to healthcare, take a deep breath, get started at samaritaministries.org/familyman.Okay, Ben, go ahead.Well, and actually before we do that, uh, I don’t wanna just be, you know, like, I don’t wanna just go only negatives on, uh, from my standpoint, but have you thought any about or talked yet about, ’cause I unfortunately have not gotten to listen to all of your podcast episodes yet, but, um, about, um, uh, for older kids, how you think it could impact, you know, career and/or, uh, you know, what you would suggest for, um, training and/or, you know, l- uh, once they’re graduating?Have you guys talked about that at all yet?Or do you have any thoughts on that in relation to AI?Well, I think, I think from what I’m seeing, um, employers are looking for employees with AI skills over those without it.Mm.Um, e- even in industries that you might not think.And so I think there’s something to preparing our kids.But again, I think it’s about building that solid foundation of knowledge, asking good questions, that kinda thing.Absolutely, I think you need to, especially in the teen years, be introducing them side by side.Not likeYou know, just like any way that you treat the internet, y- your kids probably don’t have a computer in their room, and they’re free to roam the internet because it’s the Wild, Wild West.You, you’re not gonna give them an AI tool and go, “Have at it.”Mm.It’s something where you, especially when your kids are still in your home, to be walking alongside, experimenting.You know, have them try something and, and then ask, “Okay, what was the output?Is it true?”You know, those kinda things.Um, I think for teens especially, some of the, the concerns that I have is, y- you know, it sounds human, and it has no morality.It has no discernment.It has the, the broadest base of knowledge, and it could be feeding them garbage.And so, y- you know, there’s something to letting them practice with it, t- an assignment, something.Not doing the work for them, because, you know, don’t you think that’s a problem, too?Our human nature is we want the path of least resistance.We want the easiest path- 100%to from A to B.IExactly.Yes.I want my kids to be able to look in the encyclopedia and copy it word for word with his own hands, you know?But even that- I don’t want him to take easy waysis better, I would say.Uh-huh.So, ’cause, like, even that’s better, though, ’cause- It isso, what I’mI, again, I, I, I think about this a lot, and I, and I do not want to be Luddite.Yes.I love technology.I mean, Dad can, you know, testify.I mean, my entire growing up, I was like your husband and you, where I j- I mean, I was obsessed with, you know, ’cause that was the age of, like, smartphones are coming online and, like, early, you know, or, uh, I mean, everything was changing, you know, technology-wise and miniaturizing and all that, and I loved all that.And I do love all that still.But this is the first time that I’ve had technology’Cause even social media, there was a lotta dangers with it, but it didn’t feel like this to me, uh, in the same ways.Um, IAnd one of the things you mentioned, I think it is different, because I think even with looking up the answer or googling the answer, that’s still kind of almost a form of, like, going and looking it up in a book, kinda.I mean, it’s obviously- Yeahway simplified.But this is almost like hiring someone else just to do it for you, and you learn- Rightliterally in it.Um, and I feel like that is a pretty big difference in a lotta ways, especially if you have, like, if you were just like, “Hey, young kids,” which schools are really, really struggling with this right now, of kids just-I mean, they aren’t do- I mean, they just let the AI do all of it.So and then at that point, you know, you’re literally learning 0.even if it’s like, hey, it’s an open book, at least you have to read it in the book and go look for it, you know, whereas this is just, like, just hire an older kid to just fill it all out for you, you know, and it’s perfect- Rightand you never have to learn anything.So I do think that is a difference that is unique, um, than a lot of things in the past, but that was one thing that initially off of that- Yeahthat I was thinking.Well, and think about, you know, what is the purpose of the assignment?Mm-hmm.You know, if it, if it’s a, uh, eliminating the struggle, the building resilience, the learning process, you know, you have to read a book to get the full breadth of thoughts that are in the book.A summary isn’t gonna give it to you.Yeah.And so, you know, sometimes AI can be used to help enhance something that you’re doing, um, and sometimes it can remove- Yeahthe actual learning process.Well, and something you mentioned, I think, too, is you said, um, that being a good employee, essentially, you know, AI skills is important, but the things you’re teaching them are not actually the AI, it’s the all the other stuff that then allows them to use it better.And I personally- Rightfrom, again, all these conversations we’ve had, you know, in a industry that is very, very, you know, AI is a big core part now, and is becoming bigger, is I do think the human factor is going to be super critical, uh, and is actually potentially one of the most employable th- components if you’re not maybe in one of the Fortune 500s.I don’t, those companies are gonna be quite different, I think, in a lot of areas, but they can’t eliminate that, I don’t think.Uh, and so- RightI think if you do are raising kids who are easy to communicate with and are confident and able to talk to people for, you know, and are friendly and have good character and show up and have original thought, you know, I actually do think that will excel even in a world where everything’s just automated.Because a lot of it, it’s a false sense of uniqueness.You know, I think, and that’s kinda why I was smirking- Yeahwhen Dad said the thing about the s- the, the Swiss Family Robinson.I didn’t do anything, you know?And I didn’t, and, and, and literally anyone could do that immediately.It’s just a, it’s just a party trick that is, like, no effort.It feels impressive because you could never do it before, but everyone can do it, so you’re not unique in any way.But having someone who could actually think and, and engage with customers and, and talk with coworkers and all that kind of stuff, that is unique still, and I don’t think that’s gonna go away, uh, personally.Nope.So.I agree.Dad, anything you wanna add?Why do you, why do you thinkNo, I just, why do you think, Nancy, I mean, so, 0 okay, and these are all un- uh, prepared questions, that I didn’t ask you any of these.Great.You know, why do you think it is that, that people feel what they feel?I mean, when they used to watch The Jetsons back in the 1960s and ’70s, no one ever thought, “It’s taking over humanity.”Correct.You know?And, you know, and even, you know, even now, every, I’ll have people say, “Oh, man, I’m just really scared of it,” and I’m like, “Do you ever use it?”And they’ll say, “Oh, yeah, I use it every day.”And I’m like, “Huh.”You know, and what do you think it is that, that feels that?’Cause it does feel different.Yeah.Why do you th- why do you think that is?Is itI mean, my theory was that had they called it something else without artificial intelligence, you know, maybe if we just called it computers, you know, nobody would’ve cared.I don’t know.Right.Well, I think a lot of it is because it sounds so human, and it’s also very sycophantic.It will tell you you’re brilliant.”I love the way you’re thinking about that, Todd.That’s such a great question.”I do like, I do like that.You know.And I’ve even seen whereSo I use it a lot to brainstorm.I’m the women’s ministry director at my church.And so if I’m having an event and I wanna have some, you know, interactive activity or some kinda game or something or, you know, whatever, I’ll use it to brainstorm.And it, it has even said, “I’m praying for you.”And it’s like- I know, itlook at that.Zan Tyler said the same thing, and I’m like, “It’s got a soul.”That’s what I asked it once- See, we refer-uh, about towing something with a vehicle, and it was like, “I don’t typically like pulling stuff this heavy with this kind of vehicle.”But I’m like, “Yeah, yeah, thanks for that advice.””I appreciate that.”Yeah, it’s crazy.It’s crazy.Zan and I do refer to Claude as he.Yeah.Claude said to me today, and James will often ask me, “How’s your bestie, Claude?”Yeah.Mm.So, um, you know, I think that is a thing.And, and kind of what you were saying, Ben, I believe that in-person, real-life things are gonna become even more important now.’Cause, you know, we’re how many decades into social media?Mm-hmm.When did Facebook start, like 2004?Yeah.Is that right?I mean, it’s early.Forever ago.So it, it’s been around a long time.Yeah, forever, for a wide swath of it.And I think reels are geared to keep you addicted and watching and flipping to the next one.You can lose hours of your day.And I think people, especially the younger generation, is craving something real.Mm.And so I think we’re gonna see, you know, a use of tools, technology, and a desire for real- Mmin-person human connection.Because that, to me, is the biggest probably negative, especially for teens and young adults.If you deal with any kind of anxiety or depression or insecurity, and you’ve retreated into a world of technology, it’s really hard then toYou know, because it can be your companion.It can be your counselor- Totallyyour therapist, your advisor.I, I just had an email- Your best friendfrom a guy, a guy recently who said that, that very thing.He said, “You know, I’ve been using it as kind of a marriage counselor,” and, you know, and, and it, that does feel a little’Cause the way he said it was like- It felt vulnerable.Like I’ve been sharing my, my heart- Mm-hmmwith this thing, you know, that doesn’t have a heart.Yeah.Well, and it can’t see.You know, there’s, there’s the beauty of fellow human companionship is, especially fellow believers, they can speak the truth of, in, in love to you about something that they see.An AI tool only knows what you tell it, and I think we need the body of believers to- Mmkinda be speaking into our life and keeping us accountable and on the right track.’Cause we can believe- Mmlies super- Yeaheasy and not even know they’re a lie.100%.I mean, you 100%, I think, um, the thing that is so alluring, and I’ve gotten to see this firsthand with people I am, uh, interact with r- a lot recently, uh, that I think the voice, a- and not just the verbal voice, which it does talk to you if you have the differentYou know, I mean, just depends on how you use it, but then also f- uh, written.As I was talking to someone, I’m like, our tools that we use internally for, let’s say, like antivirus type software, it’s all AI driven, and it has been for years.But, like, it doesn’t talk to you, so no one ever feels attachment to it.But that- Mmemotional connection of like, “Hey, that’s a great thing that you’re doing.Good job on that,” like that is so effective at feeling like it’s a person.And, you know, um, and it creates a really emotional attachment, which is way different than a lot of other stuff.You might feel like, oh, I like my phone, but it’s not like you actually think of it as a person, you know, which is a big difference.And I think also the, as you mentioned, like the part of, um, agreeing with you, you know.There’s a lot of studies that have shown that it starts, um, kinda cyclically getting worse and worse at it as it goes on with you because, like, let’s say you say, “All my coworkers hate me, you know, and everyone di- just dislikes me.”It will say, “Well, the problem is, you know, the reason they dislike you might be these things.”And then you say, “Yeah, okay, that’s”And then it just keeps going and going and c- and it’s c- it’s telling you, “Yeah, they do hate you,” when in reality-you may not be hated, and you might just be believing that, you know.So, you know, whereas in like therapy hopefully- Wowa real person or a friend might say, “Hey, that’s not true.Our fam- your family loves you.Like, they do not hate you.”But if your kid is talking to it and says, “My parents hate me.They keep sending me to my room and disciplining me, and they don’t let me have fun.”And they’ll say, “That does sound like abusive parents, you know.You really should”And it’s like, so that kinda likeAnd that’s why I think kids, it is not safe, uh, at young ages- Rightespecially because it, it does not have that.And thankfully some of them do have safety checks where if theyBut it can really send them down a cycle where they start believing something that’s just completely not true.And before you had like forums and things like that where people did it, but it was a little bit harder to get to that, and you had to, like, put a little bit more investment.I think this is a little bit less of that, so.But it’s just definitely a different world- Yeahfor that.Um, so yeah.But it, it, doesn’t it seem though to you, Nancy, that I mean, that it’s not a world that’s, that we’re gonna go back?I mean, because it does- Mm-hmmfeel like, you know, like I, I still, I, I hate phones.I mean, I just feel like it just sucks so much time that, you know, when you grew up- Yeahyour parents didn’t have a phone in their hand all the time.They just looked at you and talked to you or ignored you, you know?That they ignored you and talked to somebody else.But now it just feels like we, we can’t, you know, we can’t escape that.And I’d like to get rid of it, but it doesn’t feel like anybody’s gonna go back.And I think for our kids, I mean, I, and I’ve shared this before, but I knew we were onto something when I heard my son ask our Google, you know, “How do you spell Pringles?”As he was filling out the, the, uh, grocery list on the side of the refrigerator.And I thought, “Man, he may not need to know how to spell anymore,” you know?But I just thought really there, there areAnd even my 4yearold granddaughter will, she knows how to ask it to play certain songs, you know?Yep.She’ll say, “Hey, Google”She was telling what, so I can’t remember what.It was a dancing song.”Play the dancing song by whoever,” by the Talking Hippos or, you know.And, and, and they are, they’reIt’s just gonna be their life.It is gonna be The Jetsons.Right.Yeah.Well, we just saw the flying car from Elon Musk, so- Oh, yeah, that’s truewe’re almost there.That’s true.Yeah.Yeah, it’s amazing.I think, um, things, it’s changing faster than we can keep up with, and I think the protections- Mmand guardrails andYou know, I’m not for government oversight, but there’s no real government guardrails around this either.Mm.No.Um, and so, you know, just like with anything, it can be used for good or for evil, and I don’t think we should be absent.Mm-hmm.You know, we have a responsibility to steward this tool because if we go, “I’m out, I’m not participating,” then who do we leave it to?Certainly nobody good.Right.You know?So, uh, there’s so many- Totallylike, I think, like I said, I’m an optimist.I’m an AI optimist- Mm-hmmbut also a realist.Like, there are some very serious concerns, especially around kids.I am a grandmother, and I still have trouble, like, oh, ChatGPT isn’t actually talking to me.Mm-hmm.That’s powerful.Well, hey, we’re just about out of time.Um, IYou know, what I like about your website, and, and, and you have a series of podcasts on this right now.Um, they can continue the conversation.How can they hear your podcast, and how can they contact you or find out more about you?Well, my website is nancymanos.com, and there’s links to all the episodes that I’ve aired so far.I’ve got 4 or 5 more recorded that I just need to- Mmedit and get out.So, um, but yeah.And I’ve got a free family discussion guide that I’ve created- Mmalso with just questions for parents, questions for teens, questions for the family to kinda figure out what is your family’s approach to technology and AI gonna be.So hopefully that’s helpful.It’s a free download.And Nancy, before- Well, I- Hold on, Dad- Go aheadreally quick.Before youWell, also- Go aheadwe like to, you know, leave people, and I don’t think they haven’t been, but just, you know, a, a word of encouragement.So to a mom who is, you know, in the thick of things, maybe does feel some, uh, you know, uncertainty or, you know, obviously every mom doesn’t wanna screw it up, you know, for their child, uh, just what encouragement would you just give them just in homeschooling in general and in s- maybe specifically this topic?Well, I think we need to remember that God is still on the throne, and He is not surprised by this technology, by the era that we live in.You know, our kids were born for such a time as this, and He has equipped us to raise and disciple our children.And so I think as long as you’re looking at God and His Word and asking for wisdom and discernment, um, err on the side of caution probably if it comes to letting your kids use AI tools.Um, but don’t be afraid.Like, we don’t have to be in fear.We can be wise.We have the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, right?Mm.Um, and so it- it’s a, it’s an exciting time.It’s also a little terrifying, um, but we don’t need to live in fear.That was well-said.Dad, what were you gonna say though?Sorry, I didn’t mean to cut you off.I have no idea what I was gonna say.I was gonna, I was gonna ask, Nancy’s in, uh, in Arizona.What’s the temperature there right now?Oh, right now?I have no idea.Probably 65.It’s been cool overnight.Oh, that’s not bad.That’s- No, but it’s been-gloriousin the low 80s, which is perfect for me.Yeah, that is great.It’s perfect for everyone.Well, Nancy, thank you for joining us.Um, it was a pleasure.This is, this is something that we may have to revisit, uh, you know, once it begins to take over the world.Um, and, uh- Which it coulduh, we have to disarm it and, and go back to biblical times.Um- Unplug it all.There you go.Unplug.Um, well, Mom, I hope you were encouraged.I hope you take advantage, uh, again, nancymanos, just like it sounds, like it’s spelled, uh, dot com.You can find out more.And, uh, I hope just our conversation encourages you, uh, maybe to check it out a little bit more and, uh, maybe it’ll encourage you to smile.All right.Thanks everyone for joining us.Thank you again to Teaching Textbooks for making this all possible.Go support them.Uh, they have an amazing math curriculum.Uh, they have a free trial, and they have awesome customer service.So if you have any questions, you can head on over to teachingtextbooks.com and reach out to them, and they’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.Uh, today’s show is also underwritten by Samaritan Ministries and Redeem Health Share, where members are committed to honoring Christ and serving one another through healthcare needs.As my dad, Todd, likes to say, we use, love, and recommend Samaritan Ministries, and you can learn more about Redeem Health Share at samaritanministries.org/familyman or by clicking the link in the show notes.Uh, but have a great week, and don’t forget to smile.