Sam Altman.
OpenAICEOSam Altman, who welcomed his first child in 2025, says that fatherhood has reshaped his views on technology and its impact on children. According to a report by Business Insider, speaking on the Mostly Human podcast, Altman admitted he doesn’t want his to grow up as n ‘iPad kid’, who is just glued to screens and algorithmic feeds.Watching slightly older children struggle when devices are taken away, he said, has made him ‘feel very strongly’ about limiting early tech exposure.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on parenting in the age of AI
Altman further explained that while kids and teens make up to a significant share of ChatGPT users often using the chatbot for studying, daily help, or even companionship he is cautious about when his own son will interact with AI. “I’d rather be on the late end of what’s reasonable there, not the early end,” he said, adding: “I want him to play in the dirt for now.”Not only OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, but other tech leaders have also taken the similar approach when it comes with technology and their children. Google CEO Sundar Picahi’s son didn’t have a phone at age 11, while Bill Gates held off until children were 14. Altman also emphasised that he envisions a future where schools will include AI responsibility, offering personalised tutoring alongside project-based learning, but warned that misuse could lead to negative outcomes.
Sam Altman uses AI in his own parenting
Despite limiting his son’s access, Sam Altman himself uses AI in his own parenting. Speaking on another podcast, Altman mentioned that he relied on ChatGPT to keep a check on the developmental milestones when another parent mentioned their six-month-old was crawling. ChatGPT reassured him his child was developing normally, which he described as a “great answer.”Altman emphasised that his commitment to building safe AI predates fatherhood. “I knew I was going to have kids,” he said. “I thought a lot about what I would feel about the world my future kids would grow up in.”
