AI can help grandparents stay current with evolving parenting guidance.

AI can offer a pause before reacting to worries or parenting differences.

AI can support reflective responding rather than reactive advising.

Grandparenting today means navigating a parenting landscape that’s changing faster than ever. From sleep training debates to screen-time guidelines, advice evolves quickly—and it can be hard to know when to speak up and when to step back. Thoughtfully used, artificial intelligence (AI) can be a quiet ally for grandparents, helping you stay current with evidence-based parenting guidance, sort through worries before they escalate, and choose language that supports rather than undermines your adult children.

Digital tools—used with curiosity and humility—can strengthen intergenerational understanding and help grandparents remain informed, supportive, and respectfully in sync.

I do not profess to be an expert in AI. I use some AI platforms in both my personal and professional life. Some of the current AI platforms include ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, and Microsoft Copilot. By the time this blog post is uploaded, there might be other platforms that people are using.

As with any technology, the main point is not to be afraid of it, but to use it to learn what it can do and how it can be another option in your everyday life. In a recent New York Times article about AI (Streitfeld, 2026), resistance to this new technology is similar to when “your grandparents were told that the radio would be bringing perpetual peace on earth, television was supposed to arouse so much empathy for different cultures that would end war. Cable television would educate the masses and lead to widespread enlightenment.” Having lived through these technologies, we know that they have not solved all the world’s challenges.

As with any new technology that promises to revolutionize the way we do things, it’s essential to read for yourself the pros and cons of the technology.

An excellent introduction to how grandparents can best understand AI is from a blog post on DeeDee Moore’s website, “More Than Grand.” I highly recommend her post from August 15, “Understanding AI for Grandparents: What You Need to Know Now.”

I recently spoke to Moore about her website, since it’s an invaluable source for many of the ideas I have written about in my previous Psychology Today posts, and a must-read and follow for all grandparents.

There are many concerns about the use and possible abuse of AI. Decades ago, there were debates about using calculators and then computers for homework. Parallels can be drawn to the introduction and use of generative AI chatbots, which have arrived at breakneck speed over the past couple of years. The best way for grandparents to understand AI is to read about it and talk with their adult children and grandchildren about whether and how they use it.

One of the current major concerns about AI is that it can “hallucinate,” producing false, inaccurate, or illogical information while presenting it confidently. Always check any sources your AI platform uses or recommends.

How Grandparents Can Use AI

Here are some ways to use AI to understand current parenting practices better and strengthen relationships with adult children.

Research current parenting trends: You can use AI to understand some of the current parenting practices better. For example, you can ask AI, “What are the current safety guidelines about babies and sleeping?” Another prompt could be “What are normative developmental expectations for a 2-year-old's language development?”

Draft respectful communication: Use ChatGPT to help phrase difficult conversations. For example, “Help me write a text to my daughter and son-in-law asking them to spend time with the kids without sounding demanding." Or “Help me write a text/email to my adult children about concerns I have about one of my grandchildren.”

Generate activity ideas: Utilize AI to suggest activities that you can do with your grandchildren, with specific guidelines. For example, you can ask AI to suggest “indoor rainy day activities with your 4-year-old grandchild” or recommendations for a family-friendly vacation based on the location and ages of your grandchildren. Of course, all of these ideas and suggestions should align with your adult children’s preferences.

Learn from grandchildren: With older grandchildren, ask them to teach you how to use AI tools, turning technology into a bonding experience rather than a source of conflict.

Important Considerations

AI is still a rapidly evolving field, and the tools we use today may look quite different next year. No technology is perfect, so make sure the information it generates aligns with your thoughts and interaction styles.

AI is for information, not judgment: Use AI to learn more about a specific topic and gain knowledge—especially given some of the changing parenting guidelines—but not to fuel arguments with adult children about how to raise their children.

Trust the parents’ rules (always!): Don’t use AI to counter your adult child’s way of parenting, but instead use it to support their preferences.

Verify information: As previously stated, AI can hallucinate at times, so it’s essential to verify and cross-reference any parenting advice with other trusted sources.

Grandparenting has always required a balance of wisdom and restraint. AI does not replace lived experience, instinct, or the deep emotional attunement that comes from loving a grandchild. But it can serve as a thoughtful pause button—a place to reality-check a worry, update ourselves on current recommendations, or rehearse how to offer support without sounding critical. Used this way, technology becomes less about having the “right” answer and more about preserving the right relationship.

Moore, D. (2025, Aug. 15). Understanding AI for grandparents: What you need to know now. More Than Grand. https://www.morethangrand.com/blog/ai-for-grandparents-what-you-need-to…

Streitfeld, D. (2026, February 22). Tech leaders are all in on AI. The public, not so much. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/21/technology/ai-boom-backlash.html?sea…

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