Artificial intelligence (AI) seems to be everywhere – whether you’re looking for it or not. Interestingly, AI can be very valuable for those who are co-parenting after separation or divorce. It can be particularly useful when you’re struggling to find the right way to word a communication of any kind to your co-parent. The wrong tone or words can make a seemingly innocent question, request or statement seem charged or accusatory.
A “chatbot” like ChatGPT or Copilot can help you, particularly in the early stages of co-parenting, keep your emotions out of your communications and avoid saying something that could trigger your ex. It can help you respond to a nasty communication without escalating the situation further. It can also help you make your communications clear, yet succinct.
You’ll want to tweak the results the chatbot returns to make sure it sounds like you – and not like you used AI. However, it will give you at least a good starting point for a text, email or even something to look at when you speak on the phone. It can choose the tone you want, such as casual or formal.
These programs can also be used to prepare for big conversations with your co-parent or your children. It’s important to indicate who your audience will be. By spending some time working on it, you can help ensure you don’t forget any important points you want to make. You can even have some answers ready to questions or concerns you anticipate.
Some important precautions
While there’s not anyone “on” the other end of these chatbots, it’s still wise not to include personal details like names, addresses, birthdays or health information. It could potentially pop up in a response to another user or be compromised in a data breach.
It’s also wise not to use AI to get legal information to relay to your co-parent (or anyone else). These programs gather information from all kinds of sources, and they aren’t always accurate or current. Rather than citing a law, it’s probably best to refer to any court orders or other documentation for your specific case if you need to. (Again, though, don’t put it in the chatbot.) Talk to someone on your legal team if you’re uncertain about what to do if your co-parent isn’t abiding by a court order.
By asking a non-human third party to provide input, you can help keep your communications with your co-parent from veering off into areas that don’t help either of you do what’s in the best interests of your children.
