AI & the Story of First Time Parents
Hi there, ✋
I’m Miguel, living in Barcelona, nice to meet you! In the last few weeks, I have been exploring and going down the rabbit hole of new generative AI models. Until now, my approach was mostly out of curiosity and seeing how far I could go with high-level topics, which I like to spend my spare time thinking about. 🪐👽
However, today’s post will land a little bit closer to home. My wife and I are expecting a baby (anytime now), and even though we are full of excitement to meet the new family member, we are also on our toes trying to prepare and be ready (as one can be) for the big welcoming moment.
First time parents’ prequels & unknowns… I guess. 🐣
Timeout! I just want to take this opportunity to appreciate my only avid reader: my wife! Who has been an example to follow throughout all pregnancy. This period can be a heavy burden to a woman body & mind, and speaking from a place of complete ignorance, it’s hard to put in words, my admiration for the joy, courage, grace and overall wonder in which my partner in crime approached this new journey from the start — you are the best and I can’t wait to become 3!! 😍
Btw: Maybe you like to read weird stuff too. I have other small, quick to read, and curious posts on my profile that may interest you ➡️ Miguel Parente
Following the mixed story line of parenthood and AI themes, if you subscribe to Ben Tossell’s newsletter, about the latest breakthroughs in the AI world — Ben’s Bites (here), you have seen that Notion has just released their limited beta test to their new AI features within the platform.
It looks amazing, and wait until other SaaS companies start to deploy their suit of magic AI features! You can learn more about it, and join their Notion’s waiting list (here).
Funny thing about becoming a new parent, it’s that everyone (literally everyone) tries to give recommendations and suggestions, when they first learn the big news. It’s even funnier, that they will say that you should not listen to anyone, that it’s your baby, and you should do whatever you feel that it’s best for your baby… But, regardless, they will give you a list of “to do’s” and “not to do’s”. 🙈
I know that I might sound a little sarcastic. But, to be honest, all the feedback has been the source of great help and guidance! We had no idea how to raise a baby, and we still feel like it… yet, after all the shared insights we might be ok after all. (thx everyone!)
Nevertheless, that made me think, why not to ask the oracle of all knowledge in the deep Universe (i.e. AI models), for some extra tips and recommendations! 🤖🧠
Quick disclosure: please bare in mind, that I’m no expert on AI topics, and that these exercises are just for fun & game’s purpose.
Furthermore, I will not bother you with all the details & logistics upon the AI Stories exercises — you can find the full extent of it in the first medium post (here).
So… Let’s play
TL;DR: I’m leveraging two different AI generative tools, both from OpenAI, one to generate the cool looking pictures (DALL·E — here), and the other one to immerse ourselves in a new story and/or theme (GPT-3 — here).
📏 Guidelines & Rules — on how to differentiate “me” from “AI”:
Paragraph style ➡ it’s written by yours truly
Normal text ➡ it’s the AI magic
How AI Is Helping First Time Parents
To be a first time parent, it’s both an exciting and daunting experience.
There are so many things to learn and think about, from how to keep your baby safe and healthy to how to deal with sleep deprivation. It can be helpful to talk to other parents, read books or articles about parenting, or join a support group. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your partner, friends, or family.
Although we are born with parenting instincts, there are a lot of recommendations shared by others that might help:
- read about the stages of development your baby will go through
- talk to your pediatrician about what to expect and when to call with concerns
- join a new parent group or online community
- find a trusted babysitter or daycare provider
- read books or articles about parenting
- ask for help from your partner, friends, or family
However, we all are unique and require special care and attention.
Some of the challenges that first time parents face are:
- lack of sleep
- financial stress
- feeling isolated
- not knowing what to do
- feeling like they are not good enough
If you are a first time parent, reach out to others for support and advice. There are many resources available to help you through this journey.
You never know what to expect and the journey will be full of wonderful surprises.
Parenting is a rewarding but challenging experience. It takes time, patience, and a lot of love to be a good parent. There is no one right way to do it, so don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice when you need it.
The most important things to bare in mind when raising a human being, it’s to create the right environment for nurturing and personal growth.
It’s also important to be there for your child emotionally and mentally, as this will promote a strong and healthy bond.
Even in Nature we can find lessons that can help us to be better prepared to provide the right guidance and support to younger generations.
“It takes a village to raise a child.” — African proverb
If we look close enough, we realize that wildlife is full of astonishing examples of parenthood.
We can learn a lot from nature about how to be better parents. For example, we can learn about the importance of being patient, of teaching through example, and of providing support.
Some great examples are:
- the way a mother bird will push her chicks out of the nest so that they learn to fly
- the way a father elephant will stay with his calf for years, teaching it everything it needs to know to survive
- the way a mother bear will fiercely protect her cubs from danger.
We can also learn a lot from the mistakes that animals make. For example, we can learn about the importance of not being too overprotective, of not being too strict, and of not being too permissive.
In the end, the most important thing is to love and care for your children, and to provide them with the support they need to grow into happy and healthy adults.
…THE END 📖
Happily ever after?
Crazyyy, right???? The AI, for sure, seems to be better prepared than me to welcome a newborn! It’s mind-boggling how the AI model went from high-level philosophical concepts, to detailed empirical examples, without any extra effort!! 🤯
I’m eager to see, how future generations (like our newborn) will look back in hindsight to this period in time, and be surprised to find out how staggered we were with — what one can assume — will be mundane tools & concepts.
Probably it will be like us reading about the snake game available in the Nokia 3310.
Please, let me know down in the comments, if you have any extra suggestions on how to be first time parents.
Thanks! ❤
Carve-out (acquired.fm style): I’m a long time fan of David Attenborough (here) narrations about Nature, and I could not be more fired up with all the recent space breakthroughs.
Therefore, a series that bundles the two domains, just makes me HAPPY!
It’s exactly what Netflix does with the serie documentary (aka docuseries) “Our Universe” narrated by Academy Award-winner Morgan Freeman.
Wildlife footage with eye-popping cosmic special effects, this six-part series takes viewers on a fascinating adventure to explore the connections that drive our natural world.