Jack Gindi
I didn’t grow up with the education many people have today. I left high school early, and even now at times I read something and don’t fully understand the words or what someone is trying to say. For most of my life, I had to work through that on my own.
Today, I use AI to help me. If I don’t understand something, I ask AI to explain it in simpler terms. I’ll go back and forth until I understand what’s being said. That has been incredibly helpful.
Answer vs. Understanding
I’ve also learned something important: understanding what something means is not the same as knowing what to think about it. AI can help me understand, but it cannot decide for me.
That realization has stayed with me, especially when I think about the world our children are growing up in.
We are raising kids in a system that, in many ways, no longer exists. Most of us were taught to memorize, get the right answers, follow the rules, and perform well on tests.
However, getting an answer is no longer the challenge today. A child can ask a question and receive a response in seconds. They can generate an essay, solve problems, or summarize information almost instantly. But getting an answer is not the same as understanding. And it is not the same as good judgment.
Thinking Is Critical
What I’ve seen is that people who continue to grow are not the ones who rely only on what they are given. They know how to think about things. They question what they are given, test it, and stay with it long enough to understand it. AI does not remove the need for human ability. In many ways, it exposes it.
The real gap forming today is not about intelligence. It is the difference between people who develop maturity and judgment and those who simply gather information without knowing what to do with it.
Over time, that difference will matter more than anything else. The world ahead will not reward people who can repeat information. It will reward people who can understand context, solve problems, and adapt to change.
Real Observation
I was recently introduced to a camp here in Colorado where children are brought into the wilderness. They climb rocks, build fires, and spend time outdoors without screens. For many of them, it is a life-changing experience. That might sound simple, but for some children today, it is the first time they are fully present in the real world.
That matters more than ever. If a child does not develop a relationship with real observation – what they can see, feel, and experience – how will they know what is true in a world where so much is artificial?
If they look outside and it is raining, but a system tells them it is sunny, and they trust the system more than their own experience, then something essential has been lost. That is not a failure of technology. It is a failure of preparation.
Adults Need to Change
This is where we, as parents and grandparents, have to be honest. We cannot simply raise children the way we were raised and assume it will prepare them for what is coming. If we want our children to be ready, many of us will have to change first.
We will have to think differently about what education really is. We will have to value judgment over speed, discernment over convenience, and depth over constant stimulation.
And we have to model it.
Using AI correctly does not mean depending on it. It means using it as a tool. I use AI to help me understand what someone is saying. Then I stop and think. I ask myself if I agree, if it makes sense in my life, and what I believe about it.
That step, forming your own judgment, is the part no system can do for us.
Stay Connected to What Is Real
The children who will thrive will not be the ones who rely on AI the most. They will be the ones who know how to use it without losing themselves in it. They will stay connected to their thinking, their experiences, their relationships, and the world around them. They will use AI as a tool, not as a replacement.
Because while the future may change quickly, the ability to think, question, and understand what truly matters has never changed. AI can help you understand what someone is saying. It cannot tell you what to believe about it.