As a retiree, I want to get close to my grandchildren. I'm worried that not learning how to use AI will leave me behind. What is the easiest tool for me to learn, should I worry? – Learners
do not be afraid! I promise you don't need to learn how to use generative AI tools like Chatgpt or Claude to make sure your grandchildren see you as relevant, informed. If anything, I would say that over the past year, our culture has broadly opposed the use of generative AI tools because of their environmental impact, the ethical issues of data scraping and the general dirty output. So, based on the relative’s worldview, admitting that you don’t use any chatbot tools may even increase your cool factor.
Additionally, AI chatbots may be eroding our social skills. Openai recently conducted a study to determine whether duplicate CHATGPT usage makes users feel lonely and less social in general. Do it; the most common ChatGPT users in the study are emotionally dependent on the chatbot company. So if you want to spend time making a better connection with your family, the generated AI should be close to the bottom of the list of basic tools you learn.
Instead, speed up your basic support software communication skills, such as texting, emailing, video calls, and the correct use of social media. These skills can be kept sharp by direct communication with your family and your direct communication about what your grandchildren are doing every day, which may help you feel the connection between online.
If you want to try AI tools, I recommend you educate and entertain with your family. When Chatgpt first appeared in 2022, I was visiting my parents for vacation, we had a great time, trying together, making fun poems, and tips were just to see what AI could do. If your grandchildren really like using this kind of software, then asking them if they can spend 30 minutes next time you play with tools together can be a pleasant combined experience.
If you are not the fastest TYPER, you may find a voice option that is more comfortable to use chatbot tips. Chatgpt's voice mode is fun, although it may be weird at first. I mean, how do you have a conversation with a piece of software? But once you get used to the voice mode, ask it to teach you in a different language. I spent several hours practicing Japanese with Chatgpt before heading to Japan last year. This is not a perfect mentor, but I found the process very enjoyable.
One thing to remember is that chatbots usually build information or spit out search results that contain inaccuracies. This can happen when you do a web search to collect specific information, or ask a chatbot a general question. The wrong answers given by these generated AI tools sound confident, so you'd better do some extra digging to verify what it's telling you. When you do two checks, you may realize that today you can't find a lot of things with a simple Google search.
Another detail worth remembering: It is not alive yet. Even if you are impressed with the quality of the answers, or feel that it is not just a software program to talk to, you also remind yourself that chatbots are huge tools to remember the patterns and interactions of human writing to mimic them. The imitation can be amazing, but the expression is ultimately hollow.
Let us return to your concerns about connecting with your family. Take some time and really think about your relationship with your grandchildren. They want your identity to love you and which software you use or avoid using should not have any impact on this. I feel that life is too short to get caught up in the anxiety of how others think of us. Once you’ve finished this article, call them (or send them an Instagram DM) and tell them how you feel and how important your family is to you. Do it now. I promise it's worth it. Also, you already know what to say to them – there is no need for a chatbot here.
