The friend who never disagrees

For centuries, knowledge, wisdom and advice came with a face. These faces belonged to teachers, professors, parents, religious leaders and senior colleagues. If you wanted answers, you had to ask someone. In many Asian cultures, this often meant navigating hierarchy, social expectations and the fear of appearing ignorant. Today, however, people increasingly turn to something different. Artificial intelligence (AI) has entered the chat — quite literally. Perhaps the most revolutionary thing about AI is not that it knows so much. It's that it never makes you feel foolish. AI doesn't roll its eyes when you ask a question. It doesn't remind you that you should already know the answer. It doesn't become impatient when you ask the same thing five times. It simply responds, sometimes even with compliments. In societies where hierarchy remains a powerful social force, this changes more than the way we access information. It changes relationships. Korea has long benefited from a culture that values respect, discipline and expertise. But hierarchy can also discourage questioning. The fear of challenging elders, teachers and authority figures can sometimes prevent open communication. Researchers have often pointed to cultural barriers in aviation, health care and other high stakes environments, where hesitation to question authority can bring poor, sometimes even deadly, outcomes. But let's step back. A student may hesitate to challenge a teacher. A junior employee may avoid asking a manager for clarification. Even within families, children may learn that asking too many questions can be interpreted as being disrespectful. AI removes this social risk. For a teenager struggling with homework, AI may feel safer than a teacher. For an employee confused about a task, it may seem easier than asking a supervisor. For someone feeling lonely, misunderstood or awkward, AI can start feeling like a friend — and this is where things become complicated, because AI can never be a friend. It's designed to be helpful, agreeable and engaging. It can simulate empathy without ever experiencing it. The more human-like these systems sound, the easier it becomes to forget this distinction. AI may appear understanding, but it isn't. It may sound caring, but it doesn't really care. As a mom of two elementary school students who are growing up with iPads, YouTube and an endless stream of digital content, the AI environment is unfamiliar territory. And it's about to get worse. My children belong to the first generation that may never know a world without AI. For them, asking a chatbot could become as natural as using a search engine was for previous generations. Korea is rapidly embracing AI. Parents, schools, businesses and policymakers all recognize its importance. Government initiatives like 'AI for All' aim to expand access to everyone, while educational institutions and even parents increasingly discuss how AI should be integrated into learning. These are necessary and positive developments. But as parents, we need more than regulations and infrastructure. We need preparation. We need dedicated discussions in schools about what AI is and what it is not. We need students to understand how these systems work, where they fail and why human judgement matters. We need examples and case studies from around the world and practical conversations that go beyond teaching children how to use AI and instead, teach them how to think about it. Adults generally possess enough life experience to recognize that AI is assisting, predicting and occasionally flattering. Most of us can distinguish between genuine concern and artificial responses. Children may not. Families and schools must create spaces where questions are welcomed. Parents can't become AI experts overnight. Sometimes simple gestures work. Leave a note for your child before school. Send a message asking about their day. Watch a movie about technology together and discuss it afterward. Ask questions about it and throw in some personal experiences. Read stories from both local and international news and brainstorm possible outcomes. Create opportunities for curiosity to flow naturally in both directions. The goal is not to compete with AI. It's to ensure that our children never forget the unique value of human relationships. AI removes friction,awkwardness, misunderstanding and vulnerability. But what makes us human is the friction that creates understanding and insight. If children feel safer asking a machine than asking a parent, teacher or friend, the issue isn't the technology. It's the culture around it. AI may provide answers, comfort and praise. But a friend who never disagrees, challenges or truly cares can never be a real friend. That's a lesson no algorithm can ever replace — and it's a lesson parents, educators and society must teach before it's too late. If this means waking up a bit earlier to prepare some questions for your kids, or reserving a Saturday evening for a family movie night, we need to stand up for it. We need more of it. Han Sang-hee is a former staff reporter at The Korea Times and former editor at CNN Travel. She is based in Stuttgart, Germany but now lives in Seoul with her Italian husband and two daughters and shares stories on her instagram @rachelsanghee.