8 Working Parents Share How They Use AI to Gain More Time with Their Children
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Chris Domanski/Hally Peck
Working parents like Chris Domanski and Hally Peck use AI platforms to manage their busy schedules. Chris Domanski/Sidney Bensimon
AI is already a controversial topic when it comes to the future of work. The debate becomes even more intense when the subject touches upon family life.
Last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman faced sharp criticism for suggesting that parents could use ChatGPT to “create a podcast”—while driving their children to school—covering topics such as a child’s soccer match that afternoon, an upcoming birthday, or current events. Hundreds of users on X fueled the controversy by asking the same question: why not just talk to your children? While some parents worry about becoming overly dependent on AI, others view it as a powerful tool for managing tight schedules and overwhelming to-do lists. Some also find it useful for addressing specific parenting challenges—whether it’s concern over a developmental milestone that hasn’t been reached, or a desire to improve their children’s academic grades.
We asked eight parents how they use AI to balance their work and family lives; we discovered that this technology allows them to be more present for their children.
Hope Denton “unloads her mind” into ChatGPT to balance her family and work responsibilities.
Hope Denton uses ChatGPT every night to organize her schedule for the following day. Hope Denton
Hope Denton, 35, is a mother of three—aged 6, 13, and 15—living in Indiana. She balances a remote job as a content writer with running her own photography business, freelance writing work, contract projects, and volunteer commitments.
She told Business Insider that she manages to balance all her tasks by “unloading her mind” into ChatGPT each night. “Instead of trying to fall asleep, my mind constantly jumps between deadlines, appointments, sports practices, dinner, laundry, emails, and all those little things I’m afraid I’ll forget by the next morning,” she explained. ChatGPT helps her find the most efficient ways to tackle her tasks, while also suggesting what can be put off for the time being.
Denton has also used ChatGPT to plan a week-long road trip through Arizona, which included determining the best routes to avoid having to retrace her steps within the state.
“For me, it’s not so much about having ChatGPT do the work, but rather about giving my mind a break,” says Denton. “It helps me stop obsessing over the end goal, allowing me to take the first step.”
Hally Peck uses Perplexity and Claude to manage the family calendar and sign her children up for camps. Hally Peck
Hally Peck, a marketing director at Addition Wealth (New York) in her thirties, previously told Business Insider that while setting up prompts for AI takes some time, “automating some of these daily tasks has allowed me to spend more time with my children on the weekends; it’s been a huge win for me.”
She spends 10 minutes each Sunday setting up an AI agent via Perplexity to handle grocery shopping, based on her family’s preferred brands and flagging any items that are out of stock. She also uses a Perplexity agent to automatically fill out forms and register her children for activities, such as camps.
Additionally, she has programmed Claude to consolidate everyone’s schedules into a single family Google Calendar, identifying any potential conflicts.
She intends to create more AI agents in the future. “It would be great to say that everything runs 100% thanks to AI, but you still have to put in the effort to get the result you’re looking for,” she notes.
Christopher Domanski created a voice-based tutor for his daughters using ChatGPT.
Christopher Domanski programs specialized tutors to help his daughters improve their spelling and math skills. Christopher Domanski
Christopher Domanski, 41, is a father of two girls, aged 6 and 8, and balances his professional life with parenting. Domanski, who works as a director of business management and development at a manufacturing plant in California, explains that balancing work with parenting responsibilities can be very time-consuming.
“That’s where, in a way, I’ve turned to AI to save time,” Domanski told Business Insider.
When Domanski noticed that his daughters’ progress reports showed some gaps, he created custom, voice-activated tutors in ChatGPT to consistently quiz them on spelling and math until they mastered the subjects.
Domanski also uses ChatGPT to digitize paper documents brought home from school. Each week, she takes photos of flyers and permission slips, then asks ChatGPT to extract dates and to-do items, which she then adds to her Microsoft Outlook calendar.
“For me, the value isn’t in AI replacing parenting or teaching,” Domanski noted. “Instead, it reduces repetitive administrative tasks, allowing me to focus more on the aspects that truly require a parent’s presence.”
Sara Sprong designs physical activity books and game boards using ChatGPT.
Sara Sprong creates personalized, screen-free activities for her family using AI.
Like many other parents, 40-year-old Sara Sprong uses AI to manage the family schedule, plan meals, and organize vacation itineraries.
However, her favorite way to use the platform is to create hands-on projects for her three children, aged 4, 8, and 9.
Sprong, who works in customer success at a tech company focused on user experience (UX) research in Colorado, says she always has plenty of ideas for family activities. “The problem isn’t a lack of creativity,” she explained to Business Insider. “The challenge is finding the time and mental energy to actually put those ideas into practice.”
During a major family trip north to Wisconsin, she prepared personalized “Mad Libs”-style fill-in-the-blank games—tailored to the activities they were doing—as well as a scavenger hunt throughout the vacation resort. She asked ChatGPT to format all the content for standard letter-sized (8.5″ x 11″) paper, so she could print it out and assemble it into physical booklets. To reduce the time her children spend in front of screens, she also designs game boards featuring various household chores that the children must complete before they are allowed to use their iPads or watch television.
“It really helps me filter through endless options and manage my time more deliberately,” says Sprong. Cara Katz uses Claude to plan her week and handle grocery shopping.
Cara Katz created a color-coded family calendar using Claude. Cara Katz
Cara Katz, a 36-year-old working mother, has been using artificial intelligence (AI) for nearly six years, including for tasks related to raising her children.
“Since I started using it at home, I’ve saved at least 10 hours a week,” Katz previously told Business Insider. “I’m tired of being judged for it.”
Katz, who works from home and takes her daughter to extracurricular activities—such as music lessons or library events—explains that she uses Claude to create a color-coded Google calendar, which helps her keep her family’s schedule organized. Additionally, Katz uses Claude to maintain an inventory of her pantry and has it connected to platforms like DoorDash and UberEats for grocery shopping.
She also finds it very helpful to use Claude to anticipate when her daughter might reach certain developmental milestones, receiving suggestions for activities that can help her achieve those goals.
Katz says that AI allows her to spend more time with her daughter. “Thanks to AI, we get time back to spend with our children,” she notes. “My mental load has been lightened.”
Ijeoma Nwaogu plans meals and assigns household chores using ChatGPT.
Ijeoma Nwaogu uses ChatGPT to determine which household chores are age-appropriate for her children. Blue Iguana Media
Before she began using AI, Ijeoma Nwaogu felt overwhelmed trying to balance her professional life with raising her three children.
“I struggled to find any harmony in managing my time, my energy levels, my work schedule, and the needs of my children,” Nwaogu previously explained to Business Insider.
Nwaogu uses ChatGPT to design personalized daily schedules for her children, which includes finding activities to strengthen family bonds during their free time. She also enjoys using the tool to create recipes based on the ingredients she has in her kitchen and the preferences of each family member.
ChatGPT also suggests age-appropriate household chores for her children, including tasks that align with activities they already enjoy—such as tidying up or sorting objects by color.
Nwaogu shared that ChatGPT has helped her break free from “mom guilt.” “Now I can spend more time with my children,” she stated. “I’m less stressed, and I feel like a better mother.”
Janine Clements and her personal “coach”: ChatGPT
Janine Clements uses ChatGPT to address various family issues as they arise.
A mother of two teenage daughters who also works full-time, Janine Clements uses ChatGPT to navigate more complex family matters—for instance, finding ways to reconnect with her 14-year-old daughter when she was spending too much time in her room, or establishing a phone-free zone at home.
She also turns to the tool for recipe ideas that suit everyone’s preferences, as well as for activities to foster a stronger bond with her teenage daughters, such as volunteering together at an animal shelter.
“It’s much more intuitive than Google, since you can refine your prompts as you go,” Clements previously explained to Business Insider. For example, she mentioned that ChatGPT helped her family discover unique places to visit in London.
“While I’m well aware that ChatGPT—or any other AI platform—shouldn’t replace a parent’s own judgment, it has lightened my load, helped me manage parenting challenges, and made daily life a bit easier,” Clements noted. Katrina Beebe uses Claude to track her daughter’s developmental milestones
Parenting
Katrina Beebe asks ChatGPT for advice on how to help her young daughter reach her developmental milestones.
Katrina Beebe, a 29-year-old mother who works in supply chain logistics in Illinois, uses Claude to balance her full-time job responsibilities with raising her 18-month-old daughter.
After her maternity leave ended and she returned to work, Beebe relied on her parents and other family members to help care for her daughter, before eventually transitioning to a daycare center. To make things easier for everyone, Beebe began tracking her daughter’s schedule and asked Claude to create a personalized routine based on the times her daughter typically napped or ate.
“As a mother, your time is limited,” Beebe told Business Insider. “Sometimes you don’t stop to think about what you’re doing in the moment, or how those actions form long-term patterns.”f
She also set up an artificial intelligence agent, trained with specific information about her daughter, to track her developmental milestones. If her daughter misses any of these, Beebe seeks advice on how to help—whether by expanding her vocabulary or managing her picky eating habits. She explains that she turns to AI two to three times a day, including for other household matters, such as interior design or gardening.
Beebe notes that AI allows her to maintain the level of performance she desires, even when she feels overwhelmed. “Although this is probably the time in my life—at age 29—when I have the least amount of time, I still want to handle the same workload, both in my professional and personal life,” she says.
As a mother of three, I use AI to create chore charts and printable activity books, which helps reduce screen time for my children.
Carrol Chang
I am an executive and a mother. I’ve created AI agents to manage my household, saving me hours every week.
Four people pose together under a white, arched colonnade, with a lawn in the foreground.
I am a working mother, and I’ve created over 150 AI agents to help me manage my life. “I suffer from digital overload, but I’m reclaiming my time.” Emily Oster, co-author of “The Unexpected,” participates in a discussion at the Politics & Prose bookstore on May 14, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
“ChatGPT for Teenagers” is now available. Renowned parenting expert Emily Oster explains how parents should approach this topic.
AI Enters Family Life
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Too many people feel lost. They don’t know what or whom to trust, what truly matters, or even what is real. Confusion, anxiety, and distrust are rising at an alarming rate. Artificial intel
