A few weeks ago, my 6-year-old came home from school and asked, “Why is artificial intelligence so bad?” Apparently a group of first graders were repeating conversations they overheard about the environmental challenges, but she mostly knows that her dad works on AI and that it’s a way for computers to process information faster. Why would her dad do something bad?
That conversation has stuck with me because I keep seeing parents and teachers say that they’re just going to disallow their kids from using AI. And honestly, I get it. My kids are very limited on screens. However, simply not talking about artificial intelligence isn’t an option. That's because AI is shaping every aspect of our public discourse, including first-grade lunch table conversations.
In Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV says the family is "the first environment in which all persons develop their potential, become aware of their dignity, and learn the earliest forms of truth and goodness." While the world is talking about algorithms and processing speeds, Catholic families should be focused on spiritual formation. This isn’t sidestepping the AI conversation; it’s making sure our kids have a foundation for confronting the coming questions on consciousness, relationships, and what it means to be human.
You're already doing it
In our Catholic families, a lot of these important conversations are already happening. The formation from Mass, shared meals, catechism classes, etc., is the foundation for everything your kids will need to navigate a world shaped by artificial intelligence.
You don't need to understand how a large language model works to teach your child that a chatbot is not a friend. You need basic Catholic theology, teaching children that they are made in God’s image and they are not defined by what they do or don’t accomplish. Through this Catholic formation, you're teaching them the most important thing Magnifica Humanitas had to say: that our dignity is given by God and "no machine can ever replace" it (15).
Bridging the gap
While the foundation can be laid without ever discussing artificial intelligence explicitly, my daughter’s experience with her classmates shows we do need to have more specific conversations. Normal life presents a wide variety of opportunities to point out the faulty nature of computers.
Just the other day, I was driving through my neighborhood when I noticed that my car’s computer was telling me — falsely — that the speed limit was 70 mph. This persisted, even when I pulled into my driveway and came to a complete stop! Moments like these are great opportunities to point out the computer’s error and discuss the potential consequences of following it blindly.
Conversations about chatbots can also show up in school or casual dialogue with friends. Kids might experience computer-graded homework, which gives an opportunity to compare human vs. computer interactions. Video games might integrate automatic translations, which gives an opportunity to discuss how the computer swapped words without really understanding them. The tougher conversations occur when AI isn’t wrong, but also isn’t being used well: chatbots tempting us with friendship through constant affirmations, perfectly recommended content to hook us into social media apps longer, etc. That’s when formation matters most, helping our children identify when a computer mimics human empathy and understanding.
These conversations can flow naturally from the interactions with technology already present in our lives without being soap-box lectures or lengthy discourses. Each family’s experience with AI will be unique to their relationship with technology, so there’s not a single right conversation to be had — but the conversations need to start.
For our children, the starting point doesn’t need to be a complicated description about matrix algebra or an in-depth analysis about human consciousness. We don’t have to get bogged down in the details. Our kids need basic Catholic formation, the everyday moments that shape each of our domestic churches. By starting there, we fulfill the role Pope Leo envisioned for the domestic church, starting with human dignity, truth and goodness.
As for my daughter’s question about AI being “bad,” we’re still talking about it. That’s the point.
Stephanie Quesnelle is a senior research analyst at Data Driven Detroit, a local data intermediary. Her primary focus is data literacy, translating complicated data into accessible resources for community organizations, media, and policymakers. A mother of five, Quesnelle is also the author of the forthcoming children's book Created, Not Coded: A Catholic Family's Guide to Artificial Intelligence. Quesnelle holds a Master of Public Affairs from Indiana University and served as a 2012 Fulbright Scholar. She recently spoke at the Archdiocese of Detroit's "Ministry in an AI Era" conference.
