Charles Esther
Vice President JD Vance says he doesn’t often use artificial intelligence, but it recently played a key role in a creative project with his children.
Using Grok to Illustrate a Children’s Book
Speaking on a podcast hosted by former Musk aide Katie Miller, Vance revealed that he used Grok, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, to create images for a customized version of the Who Would Win? children’s book series.
Vance explained that he and his kids wrote their own “big cats” edition, while Grok generated the illustrations.
From Playful to Gruesome
The Who Would Win? series typically depicts imaginary battles between predators like bears, snakes, and dinosaurs.
Vance noted that some of the AI-generated images turned out unexpectedly intense, describing one as “a jaguar with its fang through the skull of a tiger.”
Despite the graphic nature, Vance said, “The kids loved it.”
A Family Affair
Vance and his wife Usha have three young children — Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel — who helped with the project.
He said the process was a fun way to merge storytelling and technology.
Not an “AI Guy” — Most of the Time
When asked about his general AI use, Vance admitted he doesn’t rely on it much and doesn’t often search with AI tools.
“I’m actually not a big AI guy,” he said.
Others in Tech and Politics Using AI for Kids’ Books
Vance isn’t alone in exploring AI for children’s stories.
Last year, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared that he and his daughter August used Meta AI to create illustrations for her book The Mermaid Crystal.
AI’s Growing Political Footprint
Some politicians have used ChatGPT and Grok for tasks like speechwriting and research.
However, others remain cautious, citing concerns over AI errors or the potential for it to dull human skills.
David Awoyode