Opinions on Kids and AI: A Multifaceted Exploration

When one poses the question to adults regarding kids and Artificial Intelligence (AI), it is anticipated that a robust opinion will be forthcoming. Parents, politicians, and experts alike hold distinct views on various aspects, such as whether young people should utilize AI, how to regulate their exposure to it, and the profound ways in which it is transforming their thinking and communication patterns.

The Educational Aspect

A significant portion of these opinions centers around education. Adults express concerns that children might misuse ChatGPT as a mere research bot, essay - writing tool, or math problem - solving aid. Teachers, in particular, grapple with the challenges of policing student AI use and incorporating it into their teaching methodologies. A 2024 Pew survey reveals that a quarter of public - school teachers believe the technology does more harm than good, while many others remain undecided. A subsequent survey indicates that 26 percent of US teens have employed ChatGPT for schoolwork, double the figure from 2023.

Beyond Education

However, kids' interaction with AI extends far beyond the realm of education. Some seek companionship through it, while others turn to it for advice. So, what are the actual thoughts of young people about this technology? WIRED engaged in conversations with six young individuals across the US to understand their perspectives on AI and how it is shaping their worlds. The following comments have been edited for conciseness and clarity.

Individual Perspectives

AI Can Assist in Studying, But Courtesy Matters

Leo Schodorf, 15, from Los Angeles, remarks, "I refrain from simply posing a question to AI and obtaining an immediate answer, as teachers consider this cheating. Frequently, I prefer to ask it to locate sources for me. For instance, during our study of the Haitian revolution in history, I would request, 'Provide me with five primary sources on the Haitian revolution.' Subsequently, I would need to be more specific, as it would also present links to books for purchase.

Last year, for the end - of - year biology test, I copied and pasted the study guide provided by my teacher into ChatGPT and had it generate 100 questions based on it. This approach is effective for studying, but using AI to answer test questions during an exam on the computer is undeniably cheating.

Outside of school, I only use it for recipes, especially for baking. Nevertheless, I am often struck by how realistic some AI - generated videos appear. This aspect of AI, its ability to make anyone seem to be saying anything, is, in my opinion, the most alarming. The more advanced it becomes, the more believable and dangerous it gets. I always use 'please' and 'thank you' when interacting with ChatGPT, just as a precaution. In the event that AI takes over the world and begins to harm everyone, perhaps it will remember that I was polite."

AI Falls Short in Essay Writing

Siddhi Singh, 17, from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, states, "AI has significantly streamlined my life as a student, as it expedites tasks. Whether I need to create a to - do list or am pressed for time while studying for a test, I can input all my study materials into Gemini or ChatGPT and instruct it to create a study guide, condensing the information for more efficient review.

Frankly, AI is not well - suited for writing essays, as it is blatantly evident when it is doing the work for you. However, it is highly effective for reading materials and generating ideas.

Relying solely on AI to complete all your work is undoubtedly detrimental, as it erodes your reading and writing skills, potentially making students lazier. But if one chooses to use it for cheating, that is their own loss.

I believe that currently, AI is often misrepresented as something that steals jobs and does people's work for them. What people fail to realize is that AI is shaped by what we train it on. After all, we are the ones developing this technology. There are numerous ways we can leverage AI to solve problems, provided we use it appropriately. If one wishes to do good in the world, then one should be able to utilize this new technology in a manner that benefits everyone.

In my hometown in Colorado, we experience a high number of wildlife - vehicle collisions. A couple of years ago, I decided to develop a tool to address this issue. I shared my idea with my computer - science teacher and some fellow students, and we ultimately built a device that can detect deer and can be installed on cars. In this case, AI was extremely useful. All we had to do was feed data into the model: I processed hundreds of thermal video frames through a computer - vision model to recognize deer and other large wildlife, enabling our device to perform real - time detection on the road without the need for manual analysis of hours of footage. This showcases the power of AI."

AI Harms the Environment and Transforms Us into Robots

Mahawa Kaba, 15, from the Bronx, New York, shares, "I first became aware of AI in middle school when Snapchat incorporated it into its chat - messaging feature. Initially, I thought it was really cool and could potentially simplify my life. I started using it to answer simple homework - related questions.

Now, I avoid using it altogether. At my school, both teachers and students look down on AI use. If caught using AI or ChatGPT, a student can be expelled.

I feel that AI is permeating every aspect of our lives. My older sister uses ChatGPT, and I urge her to stop because of the significant harm it causes to the environment. My younger sister uses AI to reply to text messages. This is a small indication of what the future might hold, and it's rather frightening, as it's not normal.

Social media has already had an impact on people's personalities, and AI accelerates this process. If you rely on AI to compose a response to a message, it will provide an automated reply, which will influence how you think you should interact with others. Eventually, if you consistently follow the advice of a robot, you yourself become like a robot."

Teach Kids to Use AI Since They Will Anyway

Gabrielle Watkins, 16, from Buford, Georgia, says, "I attend an AI - themed high school where AI is integrated into our classes, such as through data - science and programming courses. Our teachers first taught us how to use AI and then allowed us to utilize it. The key is to ask ourselves: Why am I using AI at this moment? Am I using it to enhance my work, or am I using it out of laziness?

Essentially, AI should be used to eliminate monotonous tasks that we don't need to do ourselves, after which we can reintroduce human innovation and originality.

My first real encounter with AI was in my AP human - geography class when we were analyzing one of the blizzards that occurred in Atlanta in the 2000s. We were dealing with a vast amount of data regarding how people managed to get home, thousands of numbers. So, we used an AI program to categorize and compartmentalize those numbers. Subsequently, we applied our critical - thinking skills to determine the best resources and how governments should respond if a similar situation were to arise again.

Currently, I take many AP classes and use AI to optimize my studying. For example, Quizlet offers adaptive practice questions based on my performance, and I also use Notion AI as my calendar app and for note - taking. It can scan through all my notes and tell me which page contains the answer to a specific question. In May, when I start preparing for AP exams, I make use of these features.

I'm a night - owl, and that's when I study. I can't call my teacher at 3 am to ask for an explanation, but I can turn to Copilot or Photomath, and they will guide me through. I can ask, 'Hey, can you explain that one more time?' in a way that I might not feel comfortable doing in a classroom.

I think that in many schools, teachers prohibit students from using AI. However, my generation is highly resourceful. If we have even the slightest access to something, we will figure out how to use it. Teachers should approach AI like any other tool: before giving a child a bike, a phone, or internet access, it is advisable to first teach them how to use it."

The Loss of Artistic Fulfillment with AI - Generated Art

Nora Pai, 14, from Manhattan, expresses, "As someone who has a passion for learning, I'm not a proponent of AI and am apprehensive about its future applications. I've witnessed students at my school using Grammarly to write essays or AI to solve homework problems.

I believe I was introduced to AI in fifth grade, so I recall a time when AI was not prevalent at all. My brother, who is starting seventh grade, and his classmates simply input a math equation, and AI solves it for them. It's astonishing how quickly younger generations are being influenced by it.

As a visual artist, the thought of people using AI to create instant art and music makes me anxious about the future. It took me a considerable amount of time to master sketching a face, and it's disconcerting to think that others can achieve the same result with a single button - click. I wouldn't feel a sense of satisfaction if I merely typed and had AI create art for me. The process of thinking through the creation, experiencing the pain in my hand but knowing I'm close to completion - you can't savor that process if you rely on AI to do it for you."

AI's Utopian Potential Thwarted by Capitalism

Finn King, 12, from Jacksonville, Alabama, states, "I first learned about AI from that video of Will Smith eating spaghetti. Although the video was rather unimpressive, I thought AI was really cool and would be used for positive purposes. However, recently I've been struck by how rapidly it has been evolving. In just a few years, AI - generated videos are nearly indistinguishable from real ones. This has the potential to be exploited for numerous malicious activities, creating opportunities for dangerous individuals to engage in harmful behavior and evade detection.

I've been thinking about how, in most pre - AI - implementation portrayals, AI was envisioned as performing jobs and enabling the world to function smoothly, while humans would focus on creating art. But now, with the actual use of AI, the situation is quite the opposite. People are using AI to do things they lack the patience for, such as creating art. I believe that many movies depict one of two outcomes for AI: either the current scenario, where it is used for deception and doesn't contribute much to improving the world, or a utopian vision where AI makes everything work flawlessly. That's how AI should have been utilized. But the pursuit of greater profit by many has led to the current state of AI."