When parents leave a toddler alone with a tablet for even a moment, they usually expect to come back to cartoons, a random game, or perhaps a cracked screen. But for one father, a quick wardrobe change resulted in a glimpse into the future of the “AI generation.”
Tyler Pinkerman recently went viral after sharing a video of what happened when he stepped away from his three-year-old son for just a few seconds.
According to the dad, he had briefly left the room to change his clothes. In that short window of unsupervised time, his son managed to grab the family iPad. When Pinkerman returned, he didn’t find his son watching Bluey or playing Minecraft.
Instead, the toddler was casually using ChatGPT.
In the video, which has since garnered significant attention on social media, Pinkerman approaches his son, who is sitting on the floor tapping away at the screen.
“Wait, what is that?” the father asks.
“Chat PT,” the toddler replies matter-of-factly.
“What are you doing?” Pinkerman presses.
“I’m doing homework,” the boy says.
Amused and baffled, the dad asks, “You’re doing homework on ChatGPT? How old are you?”
“Three,” the boy answers simply.
@mrpink303 Chat PT #fyp #chatgpt ♬ original sound – Pink
Naturally, viewers were left wondering how a three-year-old even knew how to navigate to an advanced artificial intelligence chatbot. Pinkerman explained that the familiarity came from watching his parents.
“He knows about ChatGPT because my wife and I use it to come up with recipes based on whatever leftover ingredients we have in the house,” Pinkerman told People magazine.
While the toddler had seen his parents use the tool, this was reportedly the first time he had launched the application himself.
As with almost any viral parenting moment, the internet’s reaction was mixed. While many viewers found the interaction hilarious and impressive, others took the opportunity to criticize the father for allowing screen time.
Pinkerman, however, brushed off the negativity. He noted that the moment was a rare occurrence—hence why he filmed it—and emphasized that he doesn’t plan to shield his son from technology as he grows up.
“I got a lot of hate comments about screen time, which cracks me up because this was literally one of the first times he’s ever played with the iPad,” he said. “I thought it was cute, so I recorded it to send to his grandparents.”
For now, the three-year-old may just be mimicking his parents, but the video serves as a funny reminder that for the next generation, AI assistants might be as common as crayons.
