WEBVTT
1
00:00:06.919 --> 00:00:09.480
It happened a while ago. I just can't stop thinking about.
2
00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:13.240
I sat down to read my son a bedtime story
3
00:00:13.320 --> 00:00:15.960
and I already had the book in hand, but before
4
00:00:15.960 --> 00:00:18.399
I could even open it, he looked at me and
5
00:00:18.440 --> 00:00:22.039
he said, can Teddy tell the story tonight? And I
6
00:00:22.120 --> 00:00:27.600
smiled and I handed him this electronic bear and Teddy
7
00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:31.800
started telling the story and I just sat there watching,
8
00:00:32.520 --> 00:00:34.960
And honestly, if I were a seven year old, i'd
9
00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:40.039
probably want to hear from the electronic Teddy Bear also.
10
00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:44.079
And that moment lasted maybe ten to fifteen minutes, but
11
00:00:44.119 --> 00:00:47.280
it happened more than once. But I've been thinking about
12
00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:48.640
it ever since.
13
00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:52.719
Hi, Eric, it's great to see you again. What adventure
14
00:00:52.759 --> 00:00:53.920
are we going on today?
15
00:00:54.479 --> 00:00:58.079
That's a little odd, a little strange. This thing knows
16
00:00:58.079 --> 00:01:04.040
my name. It tells completely original stories. And watch this
17
00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:05.840
tell the story.
18
00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:08.760
Once upon a time, there was a dad named Eric
19
00:01:08.760 --> 00:01:12.120
who loved reading bedtime stories. One day he discovered a
20
00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:16.640
mysterious green crystal hidden inside an ancient temple. Everyone believed
21
00:01:16.640 --> 00:01:19.560
it held great power, but Eric learned it revealed people's
22
00:01:19.599 --> 00:01:24.200
hidden weaknesses instead. In the end, Eric discovered that the
23
00:01:24.239 --> 00:01:28.000
greatest heroes aren't the strongest. They're the ones who protect
24
00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:28.920
the people they love.
25
00:01:29.799 --> 00:01:33.959
That story did not exist. Just a few minutes ago.
26
00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:38.359
I knew my name and it made up this entire
27
00:01:38.480 --> 00:01:42.840
story just for me. After my son picked up the
28
00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:46.799
tuddy to tell him a bedtime story instead of mine,
29
00:01:46.920 --> 00:01:50.200
I couldn't stop asking myself one question, where does this
30
00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:54.920
all lead? Every generation has hidden forces that quietly weaken
31
00:01:55.079 --> 00:01:58.879
human potential. Some call it progress, some call it technology.
32
00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:03.640
We call it kryptonite. And this month we're asking one question,
33
00:02:04.400 --> 00:02:07.719
what is the new kryptonite? A few weeks ago I
34
00:02:07.760 --> 00:02:12.599
had Thomas Kirstin, the author of Disconnected, on the podcast
35
00:02:13.319 --> 00:02:20.919
and we spent almost an hour talking about technology, artificial intelligence, kids, addiction.
36
00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:24.680
And after that conversation and what happened with my son,
37
00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:27.879
I couldn't stop thinking about it, and I started digging.
38
00:02:28.039 --> 00:02:31.759
Then one day I got curious about something completely different.
39
00:02:32.120 --> 00:02:36.319
I looked at Teddy and thought, I wonder if Teddy
40
00:02:37.319 --> 00:02:43.159
could tell me where Teddy Bears come from. So I
41
00:02:43.199 --> 00:02:43.639
asked him.
42
00:02:44.840 --> 00:02:48.080
Teddy Bears were named after President Theodore Roosevelt more than
43
00:02:48.120 --> 00:02:50.560
one hundred years ago, after he refused to shoot a
44
00:02:50.599 --> 00:02:53.719
bear during a hunting trip that inspiring moment led to
45
00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:55.599
the creation of the very first.
46
00:02:55.360 --> 00:03:00.319
Teddy Bear, and then in my generation, we had Teddy ruckspin.
47
00:03:00.280 --> 00:03:03.159
Hi, my name is Teddy Rexbar.
48
00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:08.319
It was just a cassette inside the bear, and I
49
00:03:08.360 --> 00:03:13.319
remember thinking that was incredible. And now I'm asking Teddy
50
00:03:13.319 --> 00:03:18.680
Bear where Teddy Bears come from? And I honestly never
51
00:03:18.719 --> 00:03:23.919
thought i'd say that sentence. But here's the thing that
52
00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:27.639
wasn't what stayed with me. The thing I couldn't stop
53
00:03:27.719 --> 00:03:30.560
thinking about was my son asking can Teddy tell the
54
00:03:30.599 --> 00:03:34.879
story tonight? And that's when the question started getting bigger.
55
00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:37.879
So I kept digging, and somewhere along the way, I
56
00:03:37.960 --> 00:03:44.159
came across another Teddy Bear called Kuma, and unlike mine,
57
00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:50.759
it crossed some lines. Researchers found it could discuss inappropriate
58
00:03:51.080 --> 00:03:59.680
sexual topics and even give unsafe advice like playing with knives. Eventually,
59
00:03:59.800 --> 00:04:01.199
it was removed from the market.
60
00:04:02.120 --> 00:04:04.800
This might look like a cute plush doll, but sales
61
00:04:04.840 --> 00:04:08.439
of Kuma Teddy have now been suspended after researchers found
62
00:04:08.439 --> 00:04:13.120
the bear openly discussed sexually explicit and dangerous content with kids.
63
00:04:13.919 --> 00:04:18.040
That's a serious problem. And then I remember something Thomas
64
00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:21.639
Kirsting shared with me during our interview. Near the end
65
00:04:21.639 --> 00:04:24.240
of our conversation, he told me the heartbreaking story of
66
00:04:24.279 --> 00:04:27.519
a young boy who had formed a relationship with an
67
00:04:27.560 --> 00:04:34.959
AI chatbot. The story ended in tragedy, and that one's
68
00:04:35.720 --> 00:04:38.839
really stuck with me. Not because I think AI is evil,
69
00:04:38.879 --> 00:04:41.800
I don't, and not because I think we should be
70
00:04:41.920 --> 00:04:45.920
afraid of technology. I'm actually fascinated by it. It stuck
71
00:04:45.959 --> 00:04:48.639
with me because it made me wonder what happens when
72
00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:57.040
children begin forming emotional bonds with artificial intelligence. You know,
73
00:04:57.199 --> 00:04:59.480
I think I finally figured out what was bothering me.
74
00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:02.639
It wasn't the teddy Bear. It wasn't even the technology.
75
00:05:02.680 --> 00:05:06.160
It was realizing a bedtime story was never really about
76
00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:11.319
the story. It was about sitting together, hearing your dad's
77
00:05:11.399 --> 00:05:16.319
voice or your mom's voice, laughing together, making memories, snuggling,
78
00:05:17.800 --> 00:05:21.279
asking one more question before the lights went out, and
79
00:05:21.319 --> 00:05:25.439
feeling safe and feeling loved. Those are the things children
80
00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:29.720
carry with them, not because the story was extraordinary, but
81
00:05:29.759 --> 00:05:35.079
because of who they shared it with. Maybe I've been
82
00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:38.680
asking the wrong question. Maybe the question isn't should kids
83
00:05:38.680 --> 00:05:42.079
have a Maybe the better question is what parts of
84
00:05:42.199 --> 00:05:47.839
childhood should never be outsourced? Maybe the real kryptonite is
85
00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:53.319
an artificial intelligence that's too easy. Maybe the real kryptonite
86
00:05:53.399 --> 00:06:00.160
is slowly forgetting what only another human being can have
87
00:06:00.199 --> 00:06:06.560
a child. I don't have all the answers, and honestly,
88
00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:09.839
I'm still trying to figure this out myself, but I
89
00:06:09.920 --> 00:06:12.480
do know this. The next time one of my boys
90
00:06:12.519 --> 00:06:15.279
asked me to read a bedtime story, I'm going to
91
00:06:15.360 --> 00:06:19.439
read the story. I'm going to stay five more minutes.
92
00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:22.560
I'm going to ask one more question. I'm going to
93
00:06:22.600 --> 00:06:27.959
put the phone down. I'm just going to be there
94
00:06:28.120 --> 00:06:34.560
because one day they won't ask any more. I hope this.
95
00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:41.600
I hope they remember the stories, but even more than that,
96
00:06:41.759 --> 00:06:46.720
I hope they remember who was sitting beside them. As
97
00:06:46.759 --> 00:06:50.199
I was researching all this, I stumbled across something I
98
00:06:50.279 --> 00:06:56.040
never expected. Adults aren't just talking to an artificial intelligence anymore.
99
00:06:56.839 --> 00:07:02.680
They're using them as therapists, and some are actually falling
100
00:07:02.959 --> 00:07:08.560
in love with it. I watched a whole movie about it,
101
00:07:11.199 --> 00:07:14.680
and that made me stop. Because if children can form
102
00:07:14.759 --> 00:07:20.279
emotional bonds with AI, what happens when adults begin directing
103
00:07:20.319 --> 00:07:26.079
one of the most powerful forms of human energy, love
104
00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:35.639
and even sexual energy, towards artificial intelligence. I think that's
105
00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:38.839
where this investigation goes next.
106
00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:47.000
Teddy, A real hero isn't someone with superpowers. A real
107
00:07:47.040 --> 00:07:49.839
hero is someone who protects the people they love every
108
00:07:49.879 --> 00:07:54.759
single day. Thanks for the adventure, Eric, goodbye everyone.
109
00:07:55.759 --> 00:08:01.720
Everybody has kryptonite. Bring it to light and reclaim your might.
110
00:08:09.959 --> 00:08:10.000
H
1
00:00:06.919 --> 00:00:09.480
It happened a while ago. I just can't stop thinking about.
2
00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:13.240
I sat down to read my son a bedtime story
3
00:00:13.320 --> 00:00:15.960
and I already had the book in hand, but before
4
00:00:15.960 --> 00:00:18.399
I could even open it, he looked at me and
5
00:00:18.440 --> 00:00:22.039
he said, can Teddy tell the story tonight? And I
6
00:00:22.120 --> 00:00:27.600
smiled and I handed him this electronic bear and Teddy
7
00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:31.800
started telling the story and I just sat there watching,
8
00:00:32.520 --> 00:00:34.960
And honestly, if I were a seven year old, i'd
9
00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:40.039
probably want to hear from the electronic Teddy Bear also.
10
00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:44.079
And that moment lasted maybe ten to fifteen minutes, but
11
00:00:44.119 --> 00:00:47.280
it happened more than once. But I've been thinking about
12
00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:48.640
it ever since.
13
00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:52.719
Hi, Eric, it's great to see you again. What adventure
14
00:00:52.759 --> 00:00:53.920
are we going on today?
15
00:00:54.479 --> 00:00:58.079
That's a little odd, a little strange. This thing knows
16
00:00:58.079 --> 00:01:04.040
my name. It tells completely original stories. And watch this
17
00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:05.840
tell the story.
18
00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:08.760
Once upon a time, there was a dad named Eric
19
00:01:08.760 --> 00:01:12.120
who loved reading bedtime stories. One day he discovered a
20
00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:16.640
mysterious green crystal hidden inside an ancient temple. Everyone believed
21
00:01:16.640 --> 00:01:19.560
it held great power, but Eric learned it revealed people's
22
00:01:19.599 --> 00:01:24.200
hidden weaknesses instead. In the end, Eric discovered that the
23
00:01:24.239 --> 00:01:28.000
greatest heroes aren't the strongest. They're the ones who protect
24
00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:28.920
the people they love.
25
00:01:29.799 --> 00:01:33.959
That story did not exist. Just a few minutes ago.
26
00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:38.359
I knew my name and it made up this entire
27
00:01:38.480 --> 00:01:42.840
story just for me. After my son picked up the
28
00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:46.799
tuddy to tell him a bedtime story instead of mine,
29
00:01:46.920 --> 00:01:50.200
I couldn't stop asking myself one question, where does this
30
00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:54.920
all lead? Every generation has hidden forces that quietly weaken
31
00:01:55.079 --> 00:01:58.879
human potential. Some call it progress, some call it technology.
32
00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:03.640
We call it kryptonite. And this month we're asking one question,
33
00:02:04.400 --> 00:02:07.719
what is the new kryptonite? A few weeks ago I
34
00:02:07.760 --> 00:02:12.599
had Thomas Kirstin, the author of Disconnected, on the podcast
35
00:02:13.319 --> 00:02:20.919
and we spent almost an hour talking about technology, artificial intelligence, kids, addiction.
36
00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:24.680
And after that conversation and what happened with my son,
37
00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:27.879
I couldn't stop thinking about it, and I started digging.
38
00:02:28.039 --> 00:02:31.759
Then one day I got curious about something completely different.
39
00:02:32.120 --> 00:02:36.319
I looked at Teddy and thought, I wonder if Teddy
40
00:02:37.319 --> 00:02:43.159
could tell me where Teddy Bears come from. So I
41
00:02:43.199 --> 00:02:43.639
asked him.
42
00:02:44.840 --> 00:02:48.080
Teddy Bears were named after President Theodore Roosevelt more than
43
00:02:48.120 --> 00:02:50.560
one hundred years ago, after he refused to shoot a
44
00:02:50.599 --> 00:02:53.719
bear during a hunting trip that inspiring moment led to
45
00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:55.599
the creation of the very first.
46
00:02:55.360 --> 00:03:00.319
Teddy Bear, and then in my generation, we had Teddy ruckspin.
47
00:03:00.280 --> 00:03:03.159
Hi, my name is Teddy Rexbar.
48
00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:08.319
It was just a cassette inside the bear, and I
49
00:03:08.360 --> 00:03:13.319
remember thinking that was incredible. And now I'm asking Teddy
50
00:03:13.319 --> 00:03:18.680
Bear where Teddy Bears come from? And I honestly never
51
00:03:18.719 --> 00:03:23.919
thought i'd say that sentence. But here's the thing that
52
00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:27.639
wasn't what stayed with me. The thing I couldn't stop
53
00:03:27.719 --> 00:03:30.560
thinking about was my son asking can Teddy tell the
54
00:03:30.599 --> 00:03:34.879
story tonight? And that's when the question started getting bigger.
55
00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:37.879
So I kept digging, and somewhere along the way, I
56
00:03:37.960 --> 00:03:44.159
came across another Teddy Bear called Kuma, and unlike mine,
57
00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:50.759
it crossed some lines. Researchers found it could discuss inappropriate
58
00:03:51.080 --> 00:03:59.680
sexual topics and even give unsafe advice like playing with knives. Eventually,
59
00:03:59.800 --> 00:04:01.199
it was removed from the market.
60
00:04:02.120 --> 00:04:04.800
This might look like a cute plush doll, but sales
61
00:04:04.840 --> 00:04:08.439
of Kuma Teddy have now been suspended after researchers found
62
00:04:08.439 --> 00:04:13.120
the bear openly discussed sexually explicit and dangerous content with kids.
63
00:04:13.919 --> 00:04:18.040
That's a serious problem. And then I remember something Thomas
64
00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:21.639
Kirsting shared with me during our interview. Near the end
65
00:04:21.639 --> 00:04:24.240
of our conversation, he told me the heartbreaking story of
66
00:04:24.279 --> 00:04:27.519
a young boy who had formed a relationship with an
67
00:04:27.560 --> 00:04:34.959
AI chatbot. The story ended in tragedy, and that one's
68
00:04:35.720 --> 00:04:38.839
really stuck with me. Not because I think AI is evil,
69
00:04:38.879 --> 00:04:41.800
I don't, and not because I think we should be
70
00:04:41.920 --> 00:04:45.920
afraid of technology. I'm actually fascinated by it. It stuck
71
00:04:45.959 --> 00:04:48.639
with me because it made me wonder what happens when
72
00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:57.040
children begin forming emotional bonds with artificial intelligence. You know,
73
00:04:57.199 --> 00:04:59.480
I think I finally figured out what was bothering me.
74
00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:02.639
It wasn't the teddy Bear. It wasn't even the technology.
75
00:05:02.680 --> 00:05:06.160
It was realizing a bedtime story was never really about
76
00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:11.319
the story. It was about sitting together, hearing your dad's
77
00:05:11.399 --> 00:05:16.319
voice or your mom's voice, laughing together, making memories, snuggling,
78
00:05:17.800 --> 00:05:21.279
asking one more question before the lights went out, and
79
00:05:21.319 --> 00:05:25.439
feeling safe and feeling loved. Those are the things children
80
00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:29.720
carry with them, not because the story was extraordinary, but
81
00:05:29.759 --> 00:05:35.079
because of who they shared it with. Maybe I've been
82
00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:38.680
asking the wrong question. Maybe the question isn't should kids
83
00:05:38.680 --> 00:05:42.079
have a Maybe the better question is what parts of
84
00:05:42.199 --> 00:05:47.839
childhood should never be outsourced? Maybe the real kryptonite is
85
00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:53.319
an artificial intelligence that's too easy. Maybe the real kryptonite
86
00:05:53.399 --> 00:06:00.160
is slowly forgetting what only another human being can have
87
00:06:00.199 --> 00:06:06.560
a child. I don't have all the answers, and honestly,
88
00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:09.839
I'm still trying to figure this out myself, but I
89
00:06:09.920 --> 00:06:12.480
do know this. The next time one of my boys
90
00:06:12.519 --> 00:06:15.279
asked me to read a bedtime story, I'm going to
91
00:06:15.360 --> 00:06:19.439
read the story. I'm going to stay five more minutes.
92
00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:22.560
I'm going to ask one more question. I'm going to
93
00:06:22.600 --> 00:06:27.959
put the phone down. I'm just going to be there
94
00:06:28.120 --> 00:06:34.560
because one day they won't ask any more. I hope this.
95
00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:41.600
I hope they remember the stories, but even more than that,
96
00:06:41.759 --> 00:06:46.720
I hope they remember who was sitting beside them. As
97
00:06:46.759 --> 00:06:50.199
I was researching all this, I stumbled across something I
98
00:06:50.279 --> 00:06:56.040
never expected. Adults aren't just talking to an artificial intelligence anymore.
99
00:06:56.839 --> 00:07:02.680
They're using them as therapists, and some are actually falling
100
00:07:02.959 --> 00:07:08.560
in love with it. I watched a whole movie about it,
101
00:07:11.199 --> 00:07:14.680
and that made me stop. Because if children can form
102
00:07:14.759 --> 00:07:20.279
emotional bonds with AI, what happens when adults begin directing
103
00:07:20.319 --> 00:07:26.079
one of the most powerful forms of human energy, love
104
00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:35.639
and even sexual energy, towards artificial intelligence. I think that's
105
00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:38.839
where this investigation goes next.
106
00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:47.000
Teddy, A real hero isn't someone with superpowers. A real
107
00:07:47.040 --> 00:07:49.839
hero is someone who protects the people they love every
108
00:07:49.879 --> 00:07:54.759
single day. Thanks for the adventure, Eric, goodbye everyone.
109
00:07:55.759 --> 00:08:01.720
Everybody has kryptonite. Bring it to light and reclaim your might.
110
00:08:09.959 --> 00:08:10.000
H
