A married Swedish mother has turned to Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help raise her children, utilizing ChatGPT as what she described as a second mommy, SWNS reported.
Lilian Schmidt, 33, of Zurich, who works as a corporate brand strategist, had been feeling the burnout of motherhood when she decided to program ChatGPT to help with basic tasks such as drafting shopping lists, creating meal plans, planning vacations and birthday parties, and assisting with bedtime.
"I've built my own bot to be our co-parent," said Schmidt, who has a three-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old stepson. "I use it to make me a better mom. I'd never go back. I never let it make decisions, but I always ask it for advice. Our life is so busy. The mental load is a lot."
Schmidt said that her 35-year-old husband is active in their kids' lives, but the weight of the world has taken enough of a toll on her, resulting in the need for more assistance. The New York Post reported that a recent study from Ohio State University revealed that at least 57 percent of US moms and dads with young children experience stress, anxiety, and fatigue.
"My partner is very involved with the kids and does his fair share. But our brains work differently," she said. "He's a doer and takes on the planning. I do the thinking, that mental load falls on me."
Lilian said that she starts to experience an energy crash after leaving her 9-to-5 job. "5 pm had become the busiest time because I'm racing back from work, and I pick up an overwhelmed, overstimulated toddler. At the same time, I've got to get dinner ready...it becomes overwhelming," she said.
The overwhelmed mama said she has been able to program ChatGPT with detailed prompts for support and guidance, saying, "I get it to act as an experienced toddler coach or meal planner. I ask it to coach me through the process. If I need it to plan my meals, I'll ask it to assume the role of a nutritionist for healthy kid-friendly meals."
Once dinner time is over, Lilian said she uses the AI bot to help her toddler get to sleep, who has had difficulty hitting the hay since she was born.
"I asked ChatGPT to assume the role of a toddler therapist, someone who understands their development," she said. "I asked it 'help me understand why bedtime is hard for her.'"
The mother continued, "For the last nearly four years, we'd been told, 'She needs to relax, calm down, nothing overstimulating.' But she'd never just lie down."
As for ChatGPT, Lilian said, the AI bot "told us she needs stimulating. Let her jump around on her bed. We've never once had a power struggle again. There are no tears or fights anymore. Within five to 10 minutes, she goes to bed."
Schmidt concluded that, though not perfect, her life has immensely changed for the better with the addition of a "second mommy." She even created a TikTok account dedicated to helping parents use ChatGPT to raise their kids.
