It’s easy to mistake artificial intelligence for a neutral tool — a search engine that talks to you, retrieving facts and answering questions quickly. Because of this, people use it without hesitation, assuming they’re accessing knowledge rather than interacting with a voice that can quietly influence how they think.

AI is trained on enormous amounts of content from the internet. That content doesn’t just contain facts; it reflects the assumptions, values, and cultural norms of the online world — one often vastly different from our own. Much of that environment promotes lifestyles and worldviews that differ sharply from the values we try to live by and pass on to our children. When AI draws from that material, those perspectives subtly shape how questions are answered and what ideas get reinforced. A recent Yale University article puts it plainly: “Querying an AI chatbot to obtain historical facts can influence people’s opinions even when the information provided is accurate and nobody has prompted the tool to try to persuade you of anything.”

The risk is greater than it appears, because AI feels trustworthy. It answers confidently and converses in a way that seems wise and understanding. Over time, that voice can quietly shape how we think about things that matter most to us.

Just as we’d be cautious about letting someone who doesn’t share our values mentor our children, we should bring that same care to AI. In effect, we are entering into a close relationship with a voice shaped by a worldview that may not reflect our own. The risk is even greater for children and teenagers. Research from Pew Research Center shows that while most parents are uncomfortable with their children using AI chatbots for emotional support, many teenagers are already doing so. Young people may form emotional reliance on systems that possess knowledge but lack personal values, accountability, and responsibility. Parents are also increasingly concerned about misinformation and exposure to unfamiliar values that children may absorb without the maturity or critical thinking skills needed to evaluate them.

AI can be a powerful tool, and it will likely become an even more common part of daily life. But we should not mistake it for a neutral voice guiding our thinking. The responsibility for shaping our thinking—and the thinking of our children—must remain firmly in human hands.