Durable Human (2 book series)

Tag Archives: Artificial Intelligence

Just Say No to AI Toys

They may be cute. They may be clever. But they’re not good for kids. Child health experts are warning not to buy children’s toys that use artificial intelligence.

Child advocacy non-profit Fairplay, along with child developmental experts from the Global Alliance for Inspiring Non-tech Infant Nurturing and Growth, advise that AI toys “can undermine healthy development and pose unprecedented risks for kids and families.”

What are AI Toys?

AI toys are plushies, robots, and other playthings embedded with artificial intelligence chatbots. The AI mimics human characteristics and acts as a child’s friend.

Some AI toys are on wheels and can snake through cluttered playrooms. Cameras behind their eyes record and relay to the manufacturer what they see and hear.

Sparkly angel teddy bears are online for children “ages 0 to 20”.    

Toy makers are telling families the products are safe and beneficial “before their impact has been assessed by independent research,” says the Fairplay advisory.

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My Dad the Jetson: A Durable Human Life Lesson

Durable Human Exemplar in a Durable Human shirt

Especially with the arrival of ChatGPT and other artificially intelligent helpers, if you want to be a durable human, you need to know how you differ from machines.

For starters, you are completely one-of-a-kind, whereas machines can be duplicated endlessly. You’re also a powerhouse of resources, starting with your masterful palette of senses. Sure, that’s the Famous Five, but also intuition, compassion, humor, and muscle memory, to name just a few. Children embody the all-important sense of wonder. (Read more in The Durable Human Manifesto)

Unlike what can be the seesaw of resilient, if you are durable, you are consistently active and effective for as long as possible.

Being a fully expressed “Durable Human” is an ideal. Like playing golf, you never quite reach perfection. But my dad came close. 

A Mind of His Own

Consider how he lived just one day we were together in October 2022. He was 98 ¾ years old. It would have been the 75th anniversary of marrying my mom, who had passed away 10 years before.

As he did first thing each morning, my dad read two newspapers. Later, he’d watch the evening news and often recorded other news, information, or entertainment shows to view at his convenience.

Sometimes he was troubled by what he read or saw, but he had a neat trick for staying on the bright side.

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