Raising Curious Minds in the Age of AI

I have twin toddlers. By the time they're twenty, the jobs I trained for might not exist. The problem-solving skills I value most could be outsourced to LLMs with perfect recall.

So what do I teach them?

Science as Magic

When I was young, science wasn't academic—it was magic that made sense.

I'd tie a balloon to a straw and watch it shoot across the room. Newton's third law wasn't a formula—it was a rocket I built with my hands. I'd freeze water, boil it, watch it turn to steam. Phase transitions weren't textbook diagrams—they were experiments I could see and feel.

That curiosity—wanting to understand how and why—is what kept me learning. Not grades. Not degrees. The experiments. The moment something clicked.

That's what I want for my kids.

Curiosity as the Core Skill

In the age of AI, curiosity isn't optional—it's the only skill that matters.

If an LLM can answer any question instantly, the differentiator isn't knowledge. It's asking the right questions. Wanting to know more. Not being satisfied with the first answer.

My approach:

• Science experiments that look impossible but make sense when you understand them
• Math paradoxes that break their brains until they figure out the trick
• History and mythology showing how cultures evolved and solved problems

I don't want to teach them. I want to intrigue them.

A curious kid will learn anything. An incurious one won't—no matter how many tools they have.

The AI Dilemma

LLMs are too good at answering questions.

If my kids ask ChatGPT "why is the sky blue?" and get a perfect answer, will they ever experiment with prisms themselves? If they get a detailed explanation of rockets with diagrams, will they ever tie a balloon to a straw and feel Newton's third law?

Maybe AI becomes the ultimate curiosity amplifier—one answer sparks ten questions, they iterate faster, learn deeper.

Or maybe it kills curiosity. Instant answers, no struggle, no discovery.

The difference is how we teach them to use it.

Beyond Academics

This isn't just about learning. It's about raising humans who can navigate a complicated world.

I don't care if they're engineers or artists or something we don't have a name for yet. I care if they're good humans who solve problems and care about others.

The Uncomfortable Truth

I don't know if I'm right.

Maybe focusing on curiosity is exactly what they need. Maybe it's outdated advice from someone who can't see the future clearly. Maybe the skills that matter in 2045 are things I can't conceive of today.

But I have to bet on something.

My bet: curiosity and empathy will always matter.

No matter how smart AI gets, humans will still need to ask "what problem are we solving?" and "who does this help?" Those questions require judgment, values, and context—things an LLM can assist with but never replace.

What I'm Doing Today

1. Show them experiments. Let science feel like magic.
2. Let them struggle. Don't give answers immediately.
3. Introduce AI as a tool, not an oracle. Teach them to verify and question.
4. Teach empathy and resilience. Through martial arts, stories, example.
5. Let them see me learning. Model curiosity. Show them it's okay not to know.

And most importantly: stay flexible. The world will change faster than I can plan for. My job isn't to predict the future—it's to give them tools to adapt.

The Only Certainty

I don't know what the world will look like when my kids grow up.

But humans have always figured it out. From the Agricultural Revolution to the Information Age, every generation has faced massive disruption. Every generation has worried their kids won't be ready.

And every generation has adapted.

Maybe the best thing I can do is show them the world is full of puzzles worth solving, teach them to care about others, and trust them to figure out the rest.

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What's your take? Are you raising kids in this AI-transformed world? What are you doing differently?