Generation Beta won’t just grow up with smartphones — they’ll grow up with smart everything. AI won’t be a tool; it’ll be the default. From day one, their reality will be shaped by intelligent systems that learn them better than their parents do. For brands, that means the window to influence starts now — through the Millennial and Gen Z parents making decisions today. Ignore this shift, and you’ll wake up in five years wondering why your brand feels irrelevant.

Millennials weren’t just the first to log on — they were the first to live online. From AOL chatrooms to the first Facebook ads, they built the blueprint for digital life through trial and error. Now, as parents, they’re raising Gen Alpha — the first generation born into a world run by algorithms and AI. The stakes are higher. The tech is faster. And the responsibility? It’s personal. This isn’t about banning screens — it’s about teaching kids how to think critically, question everything, and stay human in a world that’s anything but analog.

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how we work, communicate, and even think. As AI tools become an integral part of daily life, today's teens—part of the first truly AI-native generation—are growing up in an environment vastly different from any before. My upcoming book, Generation AI, explores this transformation and how parents can guide their children through an AI-powered future.

I recently sat down with KEY-TV Santa Barbara to discuss parenting in the age of AI, highlighting the risks, challenges, and opportunities that lie ahead.