Mom influencers promote ChatGPT as a parenting helper, dads less visible

In short: A growing group of mom influencers is showing how they use ChatGPT for parenting and household tasks, and some are selling paid “coparent” style AI setups.

What's going on

Some mothers are turning to ChatGPT, a chatbot that writes responses to questions like a fast, always-available helper, to handle parts of parenting and home planning. Wired profiles Lilian Schmidt, a brand consultant in Zurich, who said ChatGPT helped solve a long-running bedtime problem for her young daughter. After that, Schmidt posted videos about using ChatGPT as a “coparent,” and she later sold access to a custom version of ChatGPT called “Coparent” for $37.

Other creators are also building audiences by teaching moms how to use generative AI tools, meaning chatbots that can create text like schedules, messages, and lists (like a digital assistant that can draft and organize). Sarah Dooley, for example, told Wired she used AI to write toothbrushing songs and notes to a babysitter, then began running small groups for moms and later started a business around AI training.

The pitch is often about reducing “mental load,” which is the behind-the-scenes planning that keeps a household running, like remembering sunscreen, appointments, and birthday parties. Wired notes that mothers still do more unpaid work at home, citing a 2022 US Department of Labor survey that found employed mothers spend extra hours each week on chores and childcare.

What to watch

This trend is also drawing pushback. Critics point to possible harms, including environmental costs, job disruption, and concerns about children’s development and mental health. A bigger question remains: if AI helps with the to-do list, will it also change who is expected to own that list in the first place, especially when dads are often less visible in this content.

Source: Wired