With the rapid rise of AI, teenagers are struggling to adapt to the constant technological changes of their generation. Gen Z, the first generation to be introduced to AI, has witnessed firsthand the consequences that come with using this new form of technology.
When tackling the burden of schoolwork, studying, and essay writing, many give AI credit for providing a useful tool for students to utilize. It seems that every high school student has a personal tutor, brainstormer, and encyclopedia in their pocket.
But this useful tool can create a slippery slope, descending into cheating, laziness, and an unhealthy dependency on artificial intelligence.
“With so many sports after school, a lot of the time I use AI just to get some of the workload off,” said a student who asked to remain anonymous. “It’s really hard to balance everything all by myself.”
Oftentimes, a large workload or a limited amount of time available after school for homework causes students to turn to ChatGPT, where they can quickly complete an assignment without hassle. With unlimited knowledge at their fingertips, high schoolers no longer need to search for answers themselves.
“I can ask Chat anything and get an immediate answer. It’s so much easier than searching for stuff online,” said a second anonymous source.
This dependency robs students not only of their work ethic but also their ability to reach solutions on their own. Students who experience high levels of success while utilizing AI can face larger challenges when they are forced to solve problems without the help of technology.
AI also stunts creativity. A hot topic regarding artificial intelligence is its ability to imitate human art, music, and literature at a click and how that affects real artists in today’s climate. Any request a user presents can be made to look like a realistic piece of art in only a moment.
But this ease of creation is not necessarily a positive characteristic of AI. Because of this change, many students are losing interest in creating types of art that capture the experience of being a teenager. Art, an avenue for self-expression, is now formulated by an algorithm studying pre-existing human creation.
Even in English classes, teachers find themselves searching for options to not only find a way around AI-enabled cheating, but also to help foster student expression.
“I think AI can be a helpful brainstorming tool or a thought partner, but we need to be careful about knowing the limits of appropriate use,” said NASH English teacher Mrs. Rhinehart.
This dependency that teenagers are building on artificial intelligence is also affecting other regions of behavior, such as focus and attention span. It’s no surprise that online content is steadily shifting toward short-form, where most videos are 30 seconds or less.
“I can’t really watch movies anymore,” said another anonymous student. “It gets kind of boring if I have to pay attention for a long time.”
As Generation Z ages and teenagers become adults, their high school experience with AI poses an important question: How will they continue into college and the workforce with this newfound technology? Will artificial intelligence ushers in significant improvements or will we come to regret its ramifications?
