The prudent warning to our children to beware of trusting strangers who say, “Hey, little girl (or boy), want some candy?” takes on increasing urgency as unmonitored artificial intelligence chatbots are invited into their bedrooms and classrooms as friends and confidants.

While coming across as authoritatively all-knowing, AI can’t be trusted to offer guidance on matters of human values and intellectual judgment, offering no substitute for deeply personal parental wisdom and age-appropriate instructional reasoning.

Nor is addictive interaction with virtual AI friends a substitute for social learning experiences — albeit sometimes uncomfortable and discouraging — with flesh-and-blood playmates, competitors, and critics who teach vital lifelong coping and achievement skills.

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