OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said that becoming a first-time parent while running one of the world’s most influential AI companies has been made significantly easier with the help of his own creation — ChatGPT.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says ChatGPT has become an essential guide in his early months of parenthood, helping him navigate newborn care and developmental questions.
‘I cannot imagine raising a newborn without ChatGPT’
Speaking on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Altman shared that the AI chatbot has become his constant companion in responding to everyday parenting concerns since he and his husband, Oliver Mulherin, welcomed their son in February.
“I cannot imagine having gone through, figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT,” Altman said, while acknowledging that generations of parents have raised children without digital tools. Still, he believes conversational AI is evolving into a trusted source of guidance, offering clearer and more personalised responses than traditional online searches.
Using AI for sleep routines, feeding questions and real-time reassurance
Altman said he routinely asks ChatGPT about sleep patterns, feeding schedules, developmental milestones and even small behavioural quirks. Instead of browsing lengthy forums or parenting books, he finds comfort in direct, easy-to-understand guidance.
One moment stood out during his early weeks as a parent. After hearing at a party that another six-month-old was already crawling, Altman briefly panicked about his own child’s development. He typed into ChatGPT, “Do I need to take my kid to the doctor tomorrow? Is this okay?” The chatbot reassured him that such variations are normal, ending his anxiety within seconds.
“These kinds of answers,” he said, “are incredibly helpful for first-time parents who are always second-guessing themselves.”
A tool that adapts to tone, emotion and context
Altman added that ChatGPT often tailors its responses in ways that feel surprisingly perceptive. He recalled moments when the AI gently encouraged him not to impose high-achievement expectations on his child — advice he found “personalised” and emotionally grounding.
“It is personalised, like ChatGPT gets to know you,” he told Fallon.
Not the first time Altman has credited AI with supporting his personal life
Earlier this year, Altman told podcaster Andrew Mayne that the AI tool had been “super helpful” during the earliest months of caring for his newborn. He said he continues to rely on it, particularly for understanding developmental stages: “Now I kind of ask questions about developmental stages more, because I can do the basics.”