I would consider my family a pretty low-device one. Obviously, I work in the technology sector, but I’m conscious of keeping phone use to a minimum when I’m at home with my kids. In saying that, I also love AI—I’m completely fascinated by it. Therefore, I am faced with a modern dilemma: Could I embrace AI-generated bedtime stories? Should I?
My kids love reading the old classics, like Famous Five. Especially my eldest son, Julian (6). They also love my family's famous “wall stories,” where I pluck an invisible book from the wall and spontaneously create tales that include them within the adventures. This is what led me to the question of whether or not AI-generated bedtime stories might be a good idea. Of course, I considered whether this approach might dampen creativity, stifle communication, or inadvertently encourage device use during bedtime. Or worse, was I just being lazy?
To show Julian how it all worked, I wrote the first prompt:
The next day, I asked Julian what prompt he would like to write – typing it out word-for-word as he dictated to me.
Julian's first prompt:
What I never expected to happen, was how elaborate Julian’s prompts would become each week. He soon realised that the more detail he could give, the richer the AI-generated stories became in return. Contrary to my initial fears, our new-found ritual wasn’t stifling his creativity; strangely enough, it was enhancing it.
After a week or two, Julian's prompts were reading like this:
His imagination broadened, and he began using vivid descriptions in his prompts. This was tangible proof of the positive impact, and I began to print the stories out so we could revisit them and have him illustrate them.
Julian's most recent prompt (with requested emojis) after a month:
Of course, there have been downsides, too. His enthusiasm for these AI-generated stories means he now wants them every single night, and we haven’t touched any of the ol’ favourites for a while. That, and the obvious concerns around staring at a screen just before bed.
But in short, I was surprised by how much this approach stimulated his creativity and for now, this is a fresh, fun way to engage with stories together.
Kyle Hickey is Daylight's Director of Product Design
