Sam Altman Says AI Will Outsmart His Children, But It Will Make Them More Capable

OpenAI CEO and cofounder Sam Altman has said that while his children may never be more intelligent than artificial intelligence, they will likely grow up more capable because of it.

Speaking on the inaugural episode of the OpenAI Podcast released Wednesday, Altman opened up about the role AI is already playing in his life as a new parent, and how he sees it shaping the future for his children and generations to come.

Altman, who welcomed his first child on February 22, said that tools like ChatGPT are set to fundamentally alter human development—not by increasing raw intelligence, but by drastically expanding individual capability.

“My kids will never be smarter than AI,” he said. “They will grow up vastly more capable than we grew up, and able to do things that we cannot imagine, and they’ll be really good at using AI.”

Rather than fearing the growing dominance of artificial intelligence, Altman believes that the next generation will fully integrate with it and won’t be disturbed by AI’s superior intellect.

“I don’t think my kids will ever be bothered by the fact that they’re not smarter than AI,” he added.

Altman admitted that since becoming a father, ChatGPT has become a constant companion in helping him navigate parenthood. He revealed that in the first few weeks of his son’s life, he frequently turned to the AI chatbot for advice on basic baby care.

“Clearly, people have been able to take care of babies without ChatGPT for a long time,” he said. “I don’t know how I would have done that.”

While Altman’s use of AI as a parenting tool might sound futuristic, it reflects a broader trend of increasing reliance on artificial intelligence in everyday decision-making.

However, he acknowledged the risks that come with such reliance. ChatGPT and similar tools are known to occasionally “hallucinate,” a term for when AI generates inaccurate or false information. Despite this flaw, Altman noted that users continue to place an unexpectedly high level of trust in the technology.

“People have a very high degree of trust in ChatGPT, which is interesting, because AI hallucinates,” he said. “It should be the tech that you don’t trust that much.”

Although Altman is optimistic about AI’s role in his children’s future, he admitted that the technology’s evolution will introduce new societal challenges. He expressed concern over the possibility of people forming problematic or even unhealthy relationships with AI—a phenomenon already visible in the growing number of users who treat chatbots as emotional confidants or decision-making authorities.

“There will be problems. People will develop these somewhat problematic — or, maybe, very problematic — parasocial relationships, and, well, society will have to figure out new guardrails,” he said. “But the upsides will be tremendous.”

Altman argued that these risks don’t negate the net benefits, especially when considering the potential AI holds for boosting individual productivity, education, healthcare, and other essential domains.

Throughout the podcast episode, Altman expressed a strong pro-family stance, describing himself as “extremely kid-pilled”—a slang term for someone who firmly believes in the value of having children. He emphasized that raising children in a world enhanced by AI doesn’t diminish the value of human upbringing, but rather expands the toolkit available to parents.

His views signal that OpenAI’s leadership is thinking not only about short-term disruptions but also about the long-term cultural and emotional impact of artificial intelligence.

Altman’s remarks come at a time when conversations around AI’s impact on human intelligence, employment, and social structures are becoming increasingly urgent. With global interest in generative AI growing and millions of people integrating these tools into their lives, Altman’s reflections offer a deeply personal—and forward-looking—take on what it means to raise the next generation in the age of artificial intelligence.