OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sparked significant backlash on social media after suggesting parents use ChatGPT to create personalized podcasts for their children during morning drives to school. On Friday, Altman posted that families could “connect your family calendars and explain your kids’ interests” to the company’s ChatGPT Work product, then “every morning for the drive to school, have it make a podcast that talks about one kid’s soccer game that afternoon, one kid’s upcoming birthday, some news, etc.” The post, which Altman framed as a “cool use case,” drew immediate criticism from users who questioned the wisdom of inserting artificial intelligence into parent-child interaction time.
The most cutting response came from Alex Hirsch, creator of the Disney animated series “Gravity Falls,” who simply wrote: “What if you just talked to your children?” Hirsch’s reply received roughly 10 times more engagement than Altman’s original post—around 122,000 likes and 9,000 reposts compared to Altman’s 9,600 likes and 300 reposts, according to TechCrunch.
Hundreds of social media users piled on with their own criticisms. One X user wrote that “using AI in place of real human connection is the worst possible use case for it.” The backlash reflects broader concerns about Altman’s push to integrate artificial intelligence into family life. Altman has been championing AI-assisted parenting for nearly a year, telling Jimmy Fallon last December that he “cannot imagine having gone through figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT”—a comment he made after welcoming a son with his husband, Oliver Mulherin, in 2025.
The criticism extends beyond social media sentiment. Dr. Dana Suskind, a professor of surgery and pediatrics at the University of Chicago, argues that AI fundamentally lacks the capacity to parent. In a TIME essay published in July 2026, Suskind emphasized that “AI does not care” and that “no algorithm lies awake at night worrying about whether a struggling child finally learned to read.” She contends that true parental care—rooted in genuine concern for a child’s flourishing—is “what makes us unique” and cannot be replicated by even the most sophisticated technology.
OpenAI’s push into family markets faces additional scrutiny. The company has filed multiple lawsuits from families alleging that ChatGPT played a role in loved ones’ delusions and suicides, according to TechCrunch reporting. Despite adding safety features for parents, OpenAI continues to pursue family-focused products. The company recently posted a job listing for a product manager with experience building “trust-sensitive consumer experiences for parents and families,” signaling the company’s commitment to capturing the parenting market even as concerns mount about AI’s role in child development.
Altman’s parenting pitch also echoes similar efforts by other tech leaders. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella revealed in 2025 that he had stopped listening to his favorite podcasts during his morning commute, choosing instead to ask an AI chatbot about them. Meta is testing an AI-powered app that generates bedtime stories for children, extending the industry’s vision of AI as a parenting assistant.
Sources
- TechCrunch — Sam Altman’s ChatGPT parenting post, backlash from Alex Hirsch, engagement metrics, and OpenAI’s family-focused hiring and lawsuits
- Business Insider — Altman’s post details, Alex Hirsch’s viral response, broader context on AI parenting trends, and OpenAI President Greg Brockman’s commentary on human relationships
- TIME — Dr. Dana Suskind’s expert commentary on AI’s inability to replicate parental care and the importance of human connection in child development
