Parents are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT to help their children with homework, marking a significant shift in how families approach education. According to a September 2024 survey by Prodigy of 1,006 parents with students in kindergarten through eighth grade, nearly 60% of parents struggle to help their children with homework, and 44% now use ChatGPT to find answers.
Math remains the most challenging subject, with over 80% of parents saying they avoid helping their children with it, while 20% avoid science and 19% steer clear of language arts. Phil Birchenall, an AI consultant from Manchester, England, exemplifies this trend. When his 11-year-old daughter Daisy struggled with long division for her SATs, he built a customized GPT chatbot with a dog personality to keep her engaged. Within weeks, she improved dramatically and “smashed her SATs,” according to Birchenall.
Stephen Salaka, a Florida-based software engineering director, uses ChatGPT with his 14-year-old neurodivergent son to work through assignments using the Socratic method. For open-ended creative tasks like designing Civil War posters, the bot helps organize thoughts and provide structure. However, Salaka emphasizes the importance of developing critical thinking skills in an AI-integrated world, warning that “AI pushes us towards the mean — so everything starts looking exactly alike.”
The debate over AI in education continues. Supporters argue it makes assignments more approachable and helps students overcome writer’s block, while critics worry about fostering mental inertia and over-reliance on technology. Major AI companies are responding to concerns about accuracy and sourcing: OpenAI launched “deep research” with clear citations, Anthropic introduced Citations for Claude, and Perplexity includes footnotes linking to original sources.
Audrey Wisch, cofounder of Curious Cardinals, a San Francisco-based tutoring network, has taught over 75 workshops on AI productivity to parents over 20 months, collecting more than 2,000 responses about AI anxieties. “They have this anxiety that they’re going to screw up their kids,” she said, noting fears about cutting corners and children not learning to write properly. Despite concerns, some parents are now requesting AI mentoring services, with Curious Cardinals offering one-on-one AI training to help parents become “digitally empowered.”
Key Quotes
She smashed her SATs in the end
Phil Birchenall, an AI consultant from Manchester, described how his daughter Daisy improved her math skills after using a customized ChatGPT tutor he built with a dog personality. This demonstrates how personalized AI tools can effectively supplement traditional education methods.
They have this anxiety that they’re going to screw up their kids. So there’s just so much fear and there’s so much misunderstanding. I think some of the biggest fears are cutting corners — will my kid not know how to write?
Audrey Wisch, cofounder of Curious Cardinals tutoring network, summarized the concerns she’s heard from over 2,000 parents in registration forms. This quote captures the widespread parental anxiety about AI’s impact on children’s fundamental learning skills.
AI pushes us towards the mean — so everything starts looking exactly alike, thinking outside of the box becomes the box.
Stephen Salaka, a software engineering director who uses ChatGPT with his neurodivergent son, warned about AI’s homogenizing effect on thinking and creativity. His observation highlights concerns about AI potentially limiting rather than expanding intellectual diversity.
At some point in time, AI work is going to be indistinguishable from human sources, and because of that, there’s no way for us to track the provenance of information.
Salaka emphasized the critical need for students to develop source validation skills as AI-generated content becomes ubiquitous. This speaks to broader concerns about information literacy in an AI-saturated environment where deepfakes and disinformation may proliferate.
Our Take
This article reveals a pivotal moment in education’s AI transformation—the shift from institutional debate to household adoption. What’s particularly striking is the pragmatic, problem-solving approach parents are taking, treating AI as a tool rather than a threat. Birchenall’s custom GPT tutor and Salaka’s Socratic method application demonstrate sophisticated, thoughtful AI integration that goes beyond simple answer-seeking.
However, the 44% adoption rate among parents should alarm educational institutions still grappling with AI policies. Students are already living in an AI-augmented reality, making blanket bans or restrictive policies increasingly irrelevant. The real challenge, as Salaka articulates, is teaching critical thinking and source validation—skills that become more valuable, not less, in an AI world.
The emergence of AI literacy services for parents signals a broader market trend: AI education isn’t just for technologists anymore. As AI tools become ubiquitous, digital literacy becomes a fundamental life skill, creating opportunities for educational services that bridge the knowledge gap across generations.
Why This Matters
This story highlights a fundamental transformation in education as AI tools become mainstream learning aids for families. The widespread adoption of ChatGPT for homework assistance—used by nearly half of surveyed parents—signals that AI is no longer a futuristic concept but an everyday educational resource. This shift has profound implications for the education sector, forcing schools, educators, and policymakers to reconsider curriculum design, assessment methods, and what constitutes authentic learning in an AI-augmented world.
The emergence of AI literacy as a parental concern represents a new market opportunity for educational services and tutoring companies. As Curious Cardinals demonstrates, there’s growing demand for AI mentoring not just for students but for parents themselves. This trend also underscores the digital divide concerns—families with AI knowledge and access gain educational advantages, potentially widening achievement gaps.
Most significantly, this story reflects the broader societal challenge of adapting to AI integration. The concerns about critical thinking, source validation, and distinguishing AI-generated content from human work aren’t limited to education—they’re challenges facing every industry. How families navigate AI in homework today may provide a blueprint for how society manages AI integration across professional and personal domains tomorrow.
Recommended Reading
For those interested in learning more about artificial intelligence, machine learning, and effective AI communication, here are some excellent resources:
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/parents-chatgpt-ai-education-students-homework-2025-2