Good morning, this is Dynasty Dad. Your R2-D2; a resourceful and loyal companion that puts ourselves in harm's way to protect you amazing dads.   

No droids were harmed in the making of this newsletter

🤖This week's leg up is on coaching: Raising Kids That Can Defeat Robots 🤖

Dad Joke Of The Week

Q: Why did the robot go to court? 

A: Because it was charged with battery.

Raise Kids That Can Defeat Robots

Dads, have you ever thought to yourself, “damn, Terminator is looking less like fiction and more like reality these days.”

Undoubtedly the future will look like some version of the Jetsons…full of robots.

Robots, or what is commonly referred to as Artificial Intelligence (AI), have caused more buzz recently than Dry January. 

The hype has been chiefly about OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

What is ChatGPT? 

First, AI stands for Artificial Intelligence, and it's like a robot brain that can think and learn on its own. 

And ChatGPT is a special kind of AI that can talk and write, just like you and me.

So imagine Pinky is like a regular person, and he wants to know something. But instead of asking the Brain, he asks ChatGPT. And ChatGPT can find the answer for him really fast, because it's really smart.

Just like how the Brain always has a plan to take over the world, AI and ChatGPT have a plan to help people with all sorts of things, like talking to a doctor, or helping with school work.

[ChatGPT’s answer when prompted to explain ChatGPT like Pinky and The Brain]

ChatGPT can draw up contracts, craft blogs, write code, pen essays, and pass exams.

ChatGPT could get an elite MBA from a university like Wharton (Penn).

A Wharton MBA professor recently gave ChatGPT their course exam, and it beat students, scoring a B.  

If you think that’s impressive, ChatGPT passed the US Medical Licensing exam.

And coasted to a pass on the Bar exam (lawyers betta be scared).  

Educators worry that cheating will spread faster than the latest TikTok dance trend, stoking fear that AI will make many things we know today obsolete.  

So much for Waylon Jennings' advice:

“mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys…let’em be doctors and lawyers and such."

So what?

The opportunity might be in what we value and how we teach our kids, so they don’t get replaced by robots. 

This tweet from Neil deGrasse Tyson (Astrophysicist) sums it up well.

If parents and educators, continue to value grades over learning, we are destined to raise kids that robots can replace in the job market. 

Well, how can an exhausted, maybe non-techie, dad raise the John (or Sarah) Connors, that can defeat SkyNet (not get replaced by robots)?

Here are the 6 things I’m doing that you can do today:  

1/ Get familiar with AI 

You don’t have to be a genius or techie to use AI.  

ChatGPT is free, and interacting with it is as easy as typing in questions. 

There’s a fun website that lets you type in any word and creates an image from those words.  This AI tool is called DreamStudio.  

Try it out.  Have fun.  This is only the beginning.  

2/ Raise kids with traits that AI will not easily replace.  

Creativity, empathy, critical thinking, and communication (a big topic for a future blog post).

There are many ways to do this but to put it simply, model and encourage these behaviors through your own actions.

Think “monkey see, monkey do.”

And encourage them to; pursue passions like the arts, solve puzzles, name and discuss their emotions and find their favorite storytellers so they can read and learn to tell stories. 

3/ Expose them to AI early 

Use ChatGPT to explain a topic.  Use a prompt like this:

Explain [Insert Complex Topic] like [Their Favorite Cartoon Character] to [Grade level].

Example of a prompt I might use:

Explain nuclear fusion like paw patrol to a preschooler. 

Nuclear fusion is like when the Paw Patrol team works together to save the day. Just like how each pup has a special skill and job, the tiny things inside atoms called nuclei have special properties and when they work together, they can make a bigger and stronger atom. This process is called nuclear fusion and it's what makes the sun shine, and it's also what scientists are trying to do in special places called fusion reactors to make clean energy. Just like how the Paw Patrol team works together to save the day, Nuclear fusion can make a lot of energy for us to use.

Explore together.  Let your kids ask the questions.  Discuss where it is right and where it does not explain things fully. 

4/ See AI as a power tool 

Ok, so imagine you’re building a skate ramp for your kids.  

You could use a handsaw but damn, you will be there for hours.  Instead, you pull out your Dewalt battery-powered circular saw. 

This is how we should think of AI. It can help us work faster and better while saving us from some serious pain (dem’ shoulders get sore for days in your 40s)

Need to draft an email to an upset customer...use AI. 

Need an icebreaker or good “no fail’ question to start a meeting…use AI.

Want to draft a rental contract for a new tenant…see where I’m going with this? 

One emerging trend for using AI as a power tool is promptcraft.

Promptcraft is like being a woodworker and using power tools to aid in crafting a beautiful piece of furniture. 

The woodworker knows that the joints and the finish make the piece beautiful, so that’s where they spend most of their time learning and focusing on.

Promptcraft uses AI to make quick and accurate cuts so you can spend your time on the joints and the finish to get a beautiful piece.  

5/ Explain to them how AI is already improving lives

I work in healthcare, and we’re using AI to make doctors' and nurses' jobs easier by finding diseases that even a trained eye might not catch.  

It is also helping find patients that might be at risk so they can get treatment before things get hopeless.

But it doesn’t stop with healthcare. Tesla and self-driving cars use AI to make roads safer by making decisions way quicker than distracted drivers (get off your phone).

Next time you see a Tesla on the road, make a note to your son or daughter and mention how the robot in the Tesla is making the roads safer for all of us. 

6/ Value learning over grades

Grades might have some value, but learning is the key to life.  Praise the act of trying, failing, reflecting, redesigning, and retrying. 

Hell, instead of sitting at a desk.  Play hooky (a post on this topic) with your child to learn something. Go to a museum, learn a new sport, or take a class on a new practical skill.

Try something, try anything that focuses on the act of learning.

Takeaway

We, dads, have a big responsibility to make sure our kids don’t get replaced by robots.  

It starts with us learning about and embracing AI as a power tool that can make life better.  

Pick one of these things and start today. Your kids’ futures will depend on it.

“I’ll be back….”(said in my best Arnold voice)

This Week's Interesting DEEP Dive:

Want bigger balls and more testosterone? 

Matthew Walker, researcher and sleep diplomat, found that men who lack sleep (< 5hrs) have smaller testicles than those who are rested (7hrs or more).  

These sleep-deprived men also have testosterone levels equivalent to men a decade older than them.  Damn!

Sleep is maybe the most critical elixir for our brains and body.

Sleep improves learning, mood, memory, and immunity. 

It also reduces the risk of heart attack. 

I listened to this 3-hour podcast between Matthew Walker and neuroscientist Dr. Huberman so you don't have to and here's how to get better sleep so you can reap the benefits:

Defining Good Sleep

7 or more hours of high-quality sleep.

High-quality, also known as sleep efficiency, is key.

Sleep efficiency is the % of non-light sleep one gets (REM and Deep).

So how much REM and Deep Sleep do we need?

REM (rapid eye movement), aka dream state.

~25% of our sleep should be REM sleep (~1.5 hrs to 2 hrs). 

REM is like archiving our daily files by making space for memory and learning.

REM boosts not only memory but also mood.

Deep Sleep

We need ~13% to 23% of our sleep to be Deep (~1hr to 1.5hr).

Deep sleep is the immune boosting low & slow sleep (slow brain & low body activity).

It helps restore muscles and build vital hormones.

The Sleep Diplomat's 9 research-based tips for improving your sleep and reaping the brain and body-boosting benefits:

1. Keep it consistent. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

2.  Just chill.  Sleep in a cool room that is 65 degrees or colder.

3. Go dark mode.  Sleep in the dark without any lights, and eliminate even those little blue lights from electronics.

4. Limit Alcohol and Caffeine.  Don't drink caffeine 8 to 10 hours before typical bedtime.  Alcohol litters sleep with wake-ups that decrease sleep quality and block REM sleep(memory enhancing).

5. Stop staring at a screen (TV and phone) at least one hour before bed (this is tough).

6. Don't Count Sheep.  If you're having trouble falling asleep, ‘counting sheep’ activates your brain.  Find ways to shut down the brain.  Mr. Walker suggests writing down your to-dos or anxieties 2 hrs before bed.  Or try breathing meditation.

7. Do Nothing.  If you have a bad night's sleep, don't go to better early, wake up later, drink more caffeine, or take a nap.  Overcorrecting can ruin your all-important sleep routine.

8. Have a wind-down protocol.  Find a way to land the sleep plane from 30,000 onto the pillow with breathing practice, reading, meditating, or whatever brings you out of the clouds slowly and safely.

9. Remove the clock from the bedroom.  Knowing the time doesn't make your sleep any better.

Sleep is a necessity.  

Matt Walker calls sleep "the Swiss Army knife of health." 

Check your Fitbit, Apple Watch, or Whoop and aim for ~2.5 hrs to ~3.5 hrs of REM + Deep and reap the brain and body-boosting benefits of sleep. 

Not only do we dads need sleep to keep up with our kids and be healthier, but our cajones will thank us.  

Other Dynasty Dad Topics:

Selfcare: How To Not Feel Guilty About Taking Time For Yourself

Connection: Why You Need to Invent Your Own Family Ritual

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