OpenAI chief Sam Altman has come under criticism after sharing what he called a "cool" way for parents to use ChatGPT during the morning school run. In a post on X, Altman suggested that families could connect their calendars to ChatGPT and provide information about their children's interests. The AI could then create a personalised podcast each morning, covering topics such as a child's football match later that day, an upcoming birthday, current news, and other events relevant to the family.
Altman wrote: "Cool use case of ChatGPT work I heard last night: Connect your family calendars and explain your kids' interests. 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."
cool use case of chatgpt work i heard last night:
— Sam Altman (@sama) July 31, 2026
connect your family calendars and explain your kids' interests.
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.
While some users praised the idea as an innovative use of artificial intelligence, many others argued that it could reduce valuable conversations between parents and their children.
One user responded: "LOL. Sam, you sound like, 'Hey kids, the AIs can do our socialising for us. No more human-to-human interaction!'"
Another commented: "The fact that he thinks this is a cool use case shows he has a very low bar for what counts as a good use case of this technology."
A third user wrote: "Definitely feels like you're only a part-time parent."
Another critic described the suggestion as "one of the lamest ideas I've ever heard" and questioned why some people admire technology leaders so strongly.
The discussion quickly gained attention online, with supporters viewing the idea as a creative way to personalise information for children, while critics said it risked replacing meaningful family interaction with AI-generated content.
