Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian is embracing artificial intelligence in his 7-year-old daughter’s life. In a recent podcast appearance on “Possible,” Ohanian expressed his enthusiasm for AI, stating, “I wholeheartedly want Olympia using it every day.” He views AI as a ‘superpower’ that his daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., should harness.
Ohanian, married to tennis superstar Serena Williams, shared how he’s using AI to fuel his daughter’s creativity. He recalled an experience where he and Olympia used ChatGPT to transform his childhood pencil sketches into ‘full-color illustrations.’ Ohanian described how they took his old drawings, some of which were half-finished, and brought them to life using the AI tool. “It was just so wild to see her reaction to it,” he said.
While Olympia still draws traditionally with markers on paper, Ohanian sees AI as a way to ‘level up’ her art. “Now, we can make it fly through space,” he explained, highlighting the creative possibilities AI offers. Ohanian emphasized that he wants his daughter to understand the potential of AI, saying, “I want her to understand that this is a superpower that she should have.”
Ohanian also advocates for using educational AI tools like Synthesis to assist with homework. He noted that this approach has been ‘going pretty well’ for Olympia. While acknowledging the importance of fundamental skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic, Ohanian believes that AI has ‘solved’ the aspect of raw intelligence. “Now, it’s going to be about her agency and her grit and her creativity,” he added.
Not all tech leaders share Ohanian’s enthusiasm for children’s AI use. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently suggested that children should have ‘a much higher level of protection’ when it comes to AI tools, and doesn’t want his own son to form a close bond with an AI chatbot. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has also expressed concerns about AI’s impact on children’s identity and culture. Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg has stated that he limits his children’s screen time.
Despite these reservations, AI is increasingly becoming part of everyday life, including for children. Tech giants like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google are integrating AI into their products and services, including those for kids. Some educators welcome AI in classrooms, recognizing that future generations will grow up with AI as a normal part of their world. As Altman said, “Children in the future will only know a world with AI in it.”
