Artificial intelligence (AI) is out of control.
From generating schoolwide emails to causing detrimental environmental effects, the influence of AI expands every day.
An anonymous WHS survey revealed that over 80% of students have used AI to complete assignments. Most commonly, students admitted to using AI as a grammar checker and an alternative to Google. Additionally, about 50% claimed to have used AI to solve homework problems, and 46% say that they have used AI to do their research.
This year, Waterford Schools has encouraged proper uses of AI, and many students are delighted with this change, saying, “AI in school is a good thing because it can help students improve many flaws as well as speed many processes up.” But not everyone is on board with the new policy, one student claims, “it’s unnecessary for AI to be used in schools. School is a place for learning and the use of AI completely ruins that idea.”
Senior Zaya Haglund believes that it is illogical to expect cheating through the use of AI to be completely eliminated from schools. Instead, she proposes that the best way to prevent improper AI use is to do work in class and on paper. Work such as practice problems or essays should be done in class when students do not have access to most generative AI bots, leaving assignments that AI would not be able to complete, such as notes videos, for homework.
AI generated images and videos have also been on the rise in recent months. The WHS survey revealed that over 55% of students claim they have not been fooled by an AI generated image or video. But one student has suspicions, claiming, “whoever says no is lying,” and “everyone has been fooled.” In the past, despite any doubts with what they were told, people could trust what they saw with their eyes, but this is no longer the case. Consequently, people have started believing things that are highly unlikely to happen.
Mr. Bassett, a math teacher at WHS, told his AP Statistics class about a video he had seen: a group of bunnies jumping on a trampoline. He was disappointed when told that this video was made by AI. However, this instance is insignificant in comparison to possible malicious uses of AI, such as being used to spread misinformation. To prevent being tricked by AI generated content, a general rule to follow is that if something happens that should not happen, be suspicious. If you notice oddities in a video, look closer to see if anything else seems off. For example, in the mentioned video, one of the bunnies simply disappears, a telltale sign that the video was fake.
On a scale larger than just Waterford High School, many student concerns come from the environmental impact of using AI. Some of the surveyed students say that they do not use AI because the benefits do not outweigh the cost on the planet. According to an MIT News article, AI hardware not only requires large amounts of electricity to run, but more significantly, absurd amounts of water to cool. This causes severe damage to the ecosystems surrounding data centers by contaminating clean water from the area, further harming our already abused planet.
People who worry about the risks of AI are sometimes thought of as dramatic, but in reality, they are not being dramatic enough. The Center for AI Safety, a non-profit, released a statement that was signed by notable names including Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, and Bill Gates. The statement says, “mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.” If AI keeps progressing at the rate it is and continues to outpace people’s understanding of it, disaster will quickly follow.
AI is damaging to schools, students, the planet, trust, and humanity as a whole. WHS is giving students an inch by endorsing proper use of AI, knowing they will take the mile and abuse its abilities. People rely too heavily on what AI offers, which is inhibiting learning and limiting capabilities. In the process of destroying their trust in their senses and their ability to learn, AI users are also destroying the planet.
Every single person is affected by AI, and the only way to combat its effects is to stop using it.
