One of the key elements of successful co-parenting is communication. This can be difficult for divorced parents – whether they’re communicating via text, email, co-parenting app, on the phone or in person.
Phone or face-to-face communication can be uncomfortable for many co-parents who have a less-than-amicable relationship. However, written communications like texts can often be misinterpreted — leading to hurt feelings and anger.
How can a chatbot help?
Increasingly, co-parents are turning to chatbots like ChatGPT, Copilot and others to help them craft messages and responses. Chatbots can help co-parents keep their messages clear and unemotional. They can also help them respond to communications that may seem passive-aggressive or accusatory with a clear answer that ignores the negativity and gets straight to the point.
Chatbots can even help parents prepare for tough conversations – from telling their children about the impending divorce to responding to colleagues’ and others’ intrusive questions. Since these artificial intelligence (AI) tools get to “know” a person after some interaction, a chatbot can help people communicate in a style that’s natural for them.
When to exercise caution
As with any online tool, it’s important to be careful what kind of information you share with it. It’s unlikely, but details could potentially pop up in one of the company’s training exercises or in a response to another user.
It’s recommended that people don’t provide full names, addresses or other identifying personal or legal information. It’s also crucial not to use it to get legal advice. These tools pull information from all kinds of sources, and the source data isn’t always accurate. While chatbots can be very useful, nothing can replace experienced, personalized legal guidance.