From Screen Time to Family Time

January 15, 2026

Your daily guide to using AI for your business and family, without losing your mind.

Hey friends,

Last night, my eight-year-old daughter asked me if AI could build her a Lego castle exactly like the one in her storybook. We spent the next hour generating images of fantasy castles and trying to figure out which Lego bricks we'd need. We didn't finish the castle, but we had a blast. It's moments like these that remind me AI isn't just a tool for work; it's a new way to play and connect with our kids.

It's easy to get caught up in the big, scary headlines about AI. But when you look closer, you find these incredible, practical tools that can make our lives as parent entrepreneurs a little bit easier. So, let's break down what actually happened in AI this week.

1. The Great AI Healthcare Race Heats Up

The News: In the span of a week, Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic all dropped major updates for AI in healthcare. Google's MedGemma 1.5 can now interpret 3D scans, OpenAI's ChatGPT Health can connect to your Apple Health data, and Anthropic's Claude for Healthcare is built for hospital admin tasks. It's a full-on race to own the doctor's office.

What This Means for You: Let's be honest, none of us are plugging our kids' medical records into ChatGPT just yet. The big takeaway here is the direction. These companies are focusing on the boring stuff first: paperwork, prior authorizations, and processing claims. They're building tools to help with the administrative grind, not to replace your doctor. It's a smart move, and it mirrors how we should be thinking about AI in our own businesses—start with the admin, not the creative genius work.

Try This Week: Use ChatGPT or Gemini to summarize a dense business article or a client's lengthy email. Just paste it in and ask for the key takeaways. It's a simple way to see how AI can handle administrative-style tasks and save you time.

Source: AI News

2. OpenAI's $10 Billion Bet on Speed

The News: OpenAI just inked a deal worth over $10 billion with a chip startup called Cerebras. Why? To get access to 750 megawatts of computing power. The goal is to make ChatGPT's responses faster and more natural. This is a massive investment in reducing that annoying lag time between your question and the AI's answer.

What This Means for You: Speed matters. When you're trying to get a quick answer while juggling a client call and a toddler who just discovered the joy of permanent markers, you don't have time to wait. This deal shows that the big players know that for AI to be truly useful for busy people, it has to be fast. Expect the tools you use every day to get quicker and more responsive over the next year.

Try This Week: Next time you're in a rush, try using a voice-to-text AI app on your phone (like the one built into your keyboard) to draft an email or a social media post. See how the speed of capturing your thoughts changes how you work.

Source: CNBC

3. Google Wants to Make Your Social Videos for You

The News: Google just updated its video AI, Veo 3.1, with a killer feature for creators: native vertical video. You can now upload a few photos and it will generate a 9:16 video, perfect for YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok. It's designed to create consistent characters and scenes, making it easier to tell a quick story.

What This Means for You: This is a game-changer for parent entrepreneurs who know they should be making more video content but just don't have the time. You can literally take a few photos from your weekend trip to the park with the kids and turn them into a polished, engaging Reel for your business or personal brand. No complex video editing software required.

Try This Week: Find three photos on your phone that tell a small story. Use the Gemini app to try out the 'Ingredients to Video' feature. Don't overthink it—just see what it creates. It's a 10-minute experiment that could change how you think about creating content.

Source: YourStory

4. Fight Inflation with AI-Powered Grocery Lists

The News: With grocery prices still painfully high (ground beef is up 15%!), families are turning to AI for help. An ABC News report highlighted how tools like ChatGPT and apps like Flipp and Basket can help you plan meals, find deals, and even compare the price of items in real-time while you're in the store.

What This Means for You: Here's what actually matters: this is a practical, real-world use of AI that can save you both time and money this week. Instead of manually clipping coupons or browsing endless flyers, you can ask an AI to build a meal plan based on what's on sale at your local store. It's the ultimate parent-preneur life hack: automating the mental load of feeding your family so you can focus on your business.

Try This Week: Open ChatGPT and type: "I'm shopping at [Your Grocery Store]. My budget is $150. Plan five simple, healthy dinners for a family of four for next week, and give me the shopping list." See what it comes up with. You might be surprised.

Source: ABC News

3 NEW AI Activities to Try With Your Kids This Week

Here are a few simple ways to turn screen time into family time.

1. Invent a Silly Recipe * What: Create a completely new, imaginary recipe with your child. * How: Ask your child for three silly ingredients (e.g., "gummy bears, mashed potatoes, and chocolate syrup"). Use Gemini or ChatGPT to write a funny, step-by-step recipe for "Gummy Bear Potato Surprise." Then, use an image generator to create a picture of the final, ridiculous dish. Prompt: "A gourmet food photograph of a fancy dessert made with mashed potatoes, drizzled with chocolate syrup, and topped with colorful gummy bears."