Comment by evmaki
The underlying idea tracks. The next generation of kids is going to interact with AI, and we should anticipate that and try to build systems that are healthy and safe for them to interact with.
On the other hand, I wonder if this doesn't just further alienate children from their parents. Kids are already given access to unlimited supernormal stimuli via iPads so that parents don't have to parent. This just seems like more of that: now parents don't even need to have basic conversations with their kids because the AI can do it.
Anecdotally, some of the most formative interactions I had as a child started by asking my parents questions. These were things that not only shaped me as a person, but deepened my relationship with my parents. These interactions are important, and I wonder if Aris doesn't just abstract it away into another "service" that further deepens social decay. I would not be the person I am today if I hadn't had the chance to ask my dad as an angsty pre-teen what the point of life is, and for him to tell me it is to learn and create so that we can make a better world for humanity. I guarantee a smoothed-over LLM would not have offered something so personally impactful.
My two cents is that you should ponder that deeper point a little bit, and think about how it informs the way you market your idea, and scope the service it provides.
These are great points. The #1 concern I have as a parent and that I hear from other parents is that AI tools will do what technology has been doing for the last 20 years: replace human connection. That is exactly what we are trying to avoid but in a way that still gets kids access to knowledge and information that could make their lives better.
That's great that you had the opportunity to ask your parents those questions instead of seeking them out with technology. There are a lot of questions that could help kids lead better lives that many parents don't have answers to. Not necessarily philosophical ones, but practical ones about how to cook, identify insects, you name it, about the physical world. We want to fill that need without replacing any of the parental or family connection.
I don't think that a cleverly designed product can make that decision though. I think families need to be making the decision about what their relationship with tech should be. Ideally we would be a tool for families that have made the decision to not overly rely on tech. We will ponder more on that point. Thank you for the thoughtful input.