How to Prepare Your Child for an AI-Fueled Future
I’m a university professor, and one of the best parts of my job is helping my students prepare for their future careers. I’ve given so many presentations, workshops, and private meetings on how to develop marketable skills and conduct a proper job search that I’d gotten pretty cocky about it. Then AI arrived, and suddenly all of my advice was outdated and pointless.
It terrifies me. And if you’re not also terrified, then either you’re independently wealthy, or you haven’t been paying sufficient attention. Not only have I been struggling to give my students appropriate advice for the coming new AI-fueled economy, but I also retain volcanic amounts of anxiety for the future of my 5-year-old son.
He’s precocious —dare I say, brilliant— and in previous generations, his path toward all manner of success would be all but obvious. But now, what is the value in his more traditional forms of intelligence, when a machine can do everything better, literally?
So, I went to the enemy. I asked an AI, “How do I prepare my 5-year-old son for a future AI-dominated economy?”
First, it created this hideous image for me to use in this article:
1. Build Adaptability — The Ultimate Meta-Skill
Adaptability is the mother of all future skills. Careers will change rapidly; the ability to pivot will matter more than mastery of a single domain.
How to build adaptability at age five:
– Encourage unstructured, imaginative play.
– Expose your child to a variety of environments—parks, museums, beaches, forests.
– Let them choose activities sometimes, and let plans change.
– Avoid overscheduling; boredom builds creativity.
– Celebrate trying new things instead of sticking only to strengths.
A child who is comfortable with uncertainty becomes an adult who thrives in a changing world.
My take: Now, this really leapt out at me as I’ve been giving it a lot of thought of late: the need to cultivate boredom. Too many people fill their rare quiet moments with screen time, reels, doomscrolling, and pointless dopamine seeking. So far, my child is allowed zero screen time, and I can see his bubbling imagination all the time. I dread the day when society makes it harder for us to keep the dopamine machine out of his hands.
2. Prioritize Executive Function Over Early Academics
Executive function (working memory, impulse control, flexible thinking) is a stronger predictor of lifelong success than early reading or math.
Ways to strengthen it:
– Play games like Uno, Connect 4, Memory, and Guess Who.
– Cook together: measuring, timing, and sequencing are powerful brain workouts.
– Practice “stop and think” moments: “What should we do before crossing the street?”
– Use storytelling prompts: “What could happen next?” “What could he do differently?”
Executive function lays the groundwork for planning, decision-making, and problem-solving, all of which remain human advantages.
My take: … according to the AI. Is this true? I don’t know..
3. Foster Creativity and Generative Thinking
AI can produce art and music, but it still struggles with truly original direction. Humans who know how to generate ideas (and not just consume them) will presumably be invaluable.
Nurture creativity by:
– Giving your child access to open-ended materials like LEGO, blocks, art supplies.
– Encouraging storytelling with dolls, puppets, or drawings.
– Letting them invent solutions without correcting them immediately.
– Asking curiosity-driven questions: “How else could this work?”
Creativity becomes a superpower when paired with AI tools in adulthood.
My take: At least, this is what the AI tells me. Who knows? Honestly, I’m skeptical that creativity is the great salve that will magically make human beings valuable.
4. Develop Social Intelligence and Emotional Skills
AI cannot replicate empathy, persuasion, or genuine human connection. These become premium skills in an automated economy. (Though I have seen AIs emulate those traits in a very eerie and creepy fashion.)
How to build them:
– Label emotions during conflicts (“That made you frustrated. What can we do?”).
– Practice taking turns and sharing during playdates.
– Read books with complex characters and discuss their motivations.
– Encourage cooperation-based games, not just competitive ones.
– Model calm, thoughtful conflict resolution.
The AI tells me that children who understand emotions will excel in leadership, caregiving, negotiation, and teamwork roles.
My take: Sure, AI, but will there be a role for humans to express those qualities in the economy of the future? I’m not certain..
5. Strengthen Resilience and Antifragility
The future will reward those who grow stronger through stress, not those who crumble. Building resilience starts early.
How to do it:
– Allow safe failures (falling on the playground, losing a game).
– Praise effort, not innate talent.
– Avoid solving every problem for them—let them struggle just a little.
– Share your own mistakes and show how you fix them.
– Celebrate persistence: “You kept trying even when it was tough.”
Resilient kids become adaptable, confident adults ready for unpredictable change.
My take: Here, I am 100% in agreement with the AI. Over the past two decades, I have watched the fragility of children (and then young adults) increase at a rate far beyond linear. I’m sure that social media and tech addiction feed it. It’s the main reason I wrote my bestselling book, Mental Toughness from the Stoic Masters (yeah, this is a plug; sue me.)
6. Promote Healthy Digital Fluency (Not Early Coding)
Your child does not need to code at five. What they need is confidence around technology.
Healthy digital fluency:
– Let them use simple, creative apps (digital drawing, storytelling).
– Show them how to navigate menus, settings, and search functions.
– Frame technology as a tool they can control, not something that controls them.
Digital confidence will matter more than early technical specialization.
My take: Okay, I don’t like #6, though I’ve included it here because the AI told me to. I don’t like it because I think there’s plenty of time in the pre-teen years to introduce your child to technology. They will pick it up fast. And devices are becoming so user-friendly that it really won’t be much of a challenge. I’d prefer to protect my child from the evils of technology for as many years as it is feasible to do so. So, no computers, phones, or screens for my kid for a long while yet.
7. Encourage a Maker Mentality
The economy of the future will favor those who can tinker, build, experiment, and fix things, not just use them.
Cultivate maker skills by:
– Letting your child build DIY projects.
– Using building sets (LEGO, K’NEX, magnet tiles).
– Allowing them to help with simple home repairs or garden tasks.
– Introducing basic robotics kits later on.
Hands-on problem-solving builds spatial reasoning, engineering thinking, and confidence.
My take: I love this. And my kid loves it. Seems like a no-brainer. I’m still not sure, though, that this will translate into opportunity in an AI economy.
8. Nurture Curiosity as a Lifestyle
AI will automate answers. Humans will still need to ask the right questions.
Raise a curious child by:
– Answering questions with questions (“What do you think happens?”).
– Exploring topics when your child shows interest—dinosaurs, space, insects.
– Supporting collections: rocks, shells, bugs.
– Visiting a wide range of places: libraries, farms, science centers.
A curious child becomes an innovative adult.
My take: Sure, AI, but will innovation be actually valued? Elon Musk is out there telling us that a robot-run Utopia is our near future, with most of us dependent on UBI to keep us from absolute poverty. The flip side of that vision is that the opportunity to create and build will be reserved for those who own the means of production, i.e., the tech lords. So colour me skeptical.
9. Protect Mental and Physical Health
No AI skill matters if a child grows into an anxious, burnt-out adult.
Focus on:
– Sleep routines
– Nutritious food
– Outdoor play
– Emotional regulation
– Limited passive screen time
– Strong family connection
Human wellness becomes a serious competitive advantage in a world of cognitive automation.
My take: I’m sorely tempted to plug a couple of my other books that address these issues…. but I will resist!
10. Model Lifelong Learning Yourself
Children copy what parents do, not what they say.
Show your child:
– That you learn new tools.
– That you aren’t afraid of technology.
– That you adapt when things change.
– That you use AI as a helper, not a threat.
Your mindset becomes their foundation.
My final take: So, those are AI’s ten recommendations for my child rearing. I think some of it is rational, especially building resilience and intellectual agility. At this point, though, I suspect I’m raising my child not so much to excel in an AI-driven economy but to lead the armed revolt against the thinking machines.
