Students, especially those in high school, are thinking much more about AI and its impact on their futures as the technology becomes increasingly influential in their everyday lives. It鈥檚 already changing how they interact with each other on social media, what and how they鈥檙e learning in school, and how they are thinking about careers.
Surveys have shown that teens are concerned about how artificial intelligence will impact their future job prospects. For instance, a Junior Achievement survey of 1,005 teens last year found that 66 percent of teens are concerned they may not be able to find a good job as adults because of AI.
Even so, many teens remain confident that AI will not derail their professional and personal lives as much as some fear it might.
Drew Hanfland and Dillynn Appelt, high school seniors at Effingham High School in Effingham, Ill., are two teenagers who represent that perspective.
Hanfland, 18, and Appelt, 17, are planning to pursue careers, respectively, in art and video game design. While they know AI technology is already affecting those industries, they鈥檙e still excited about pursuing their professional goals.
In a joint video interview with Education Week, Hanfland and Appelt discussed how they鈥檝e used AI tools, their concerns about the technology, and how they see it affecting their career plans.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Have you used any kind of generative AI tool?
Appelt: I have. There was the Snapchat AI bot that got really popular last year. I鈥檝e also used Character.AI to interact with some bots people have made for [video game] story building. Occasionally, I might use some AI image [generators] if my friends and I are playing around.
Hanfland: I鈥檝e logged into ChatGPT to see what it鈥檚 all about. We鈥檝e done a little bit in the classroom just to explore it. [Our multimedia teacher had us try a] generative AI tool where you could type in 鈥済ive me a superhero destroying an apple,鈥� and it would pop up right away and give us various examples of that. But as far as using it for personal use, I really haven鈥檛.
Do you have concerns about AI?
Appelt: In junior high, we had a technology class and we touched on how robots were going to take over the world one day, because Amazon promised, 鈥淗ey, we鈥檙e gonna put drones [to work] and carry your packages with that.鈥� Now it鈥檚 AI, and I鈥檓 a little worried because I see how many jobs could be affected, especially potential jobs for our generation. If we want to get into jobs that AI can do, then that worries me.
I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 an immediate cause for concern, but I definitely think that AI could go a multitude of ways: We could veer towards AI taking over everything, and then there鈥檚 even more people on the streets who can鈥檛 fend for themselves, who can鈥檛 raise a family; or it could be peace on earth and solve everything for us.
Hanfland: I see it as a tool. We have tools all around us that were invented at various times that have gotten popular at different times. As long as we use our tools in a good way, they鈥檙e not a problem.
It鈥檚 when the tools are used negatively, that鈥檚 when it becomes a problem. Using ChatGPT to cheat, that鈥檚 a problem. AI is a great resource, and as long as we use it correctly then it can be wonderful. It鈥檚 in the hands of its users.
It makes me wonder what tools sprouted up years ago that are being used for good now but we were worried about at the time, and now they鈥檝e settled down. Will this be another one of those things that might settle down, and we realize 鈥渙h, it鈥檚 not so bad鈥�? Or will it get out of hand? I do worry that people will use [AI] incorrectly because they鈥檝e used previous tools incorrectly. I鈥檓 more scared of the people, which sounds bad.
What can we do to make sure people use AI for good?
Appelt: The technology classes that I鈥檝e seen in schools have been pretty good at [teaching me] what鈥檚 safe on the internet and what isn鈥檛. I鈥檓 just not sure about what we could do for people who have already gone through school, because I know that there鈥檚 some people who are my mom鈥檚 age, who understand technology but might not have a grasp on the AI stuff. There鈥檚 people much older than her who might want to understand it.
[With younger generations], we could have activities where they learn [how to use AI]. Start the technology process at a younger age鈥攂ut obviously don鈥檛 go too crazy, trying to put too much information on like a child.
Hanfland: That鈥檚 something that I haven鈥檛 come to a conclusion on, yet, other than setting a good example. We have all these questions because we don鈥檛 know the outcome. I think in a few years when it dies down, when this becomes more normalized, introducing it early will [help make it] just be another tool, hopefully.
Is there anything schools need to change to accommodate AI?
Appelt: If we could somehow figure out how to distinguish AI work from actual human work, that would be so helpful. We could check for that and prevent students from just taking AI and not putting work into it. Because if they don鈥檛 actually work on their work鈥攁s hard as it is鈥攖hey won鈥檛 actually learn.
Hanfland: I wonder if AI will die down if we play it out, if they continue to not really [have guidelines or policies], if we continue the path that we鈥檙e going on.
What are your post-high school plans?
Appelt: I am looking into video game design. That鈥檚 primarily why I鈥檓 really into AI. I鈥檝e been looking into coding, other various languages in code, and stuff like that, so touching up on how AI works has been a huge thing for me. Even though I don鈥檛 really know exactly how it鈥檒l play out for me in the long run, I鈥檓 still super excited.
Hanfland: I am not going to college after high school. I鈥檓 staying in this town and starting a collaborative studio, where I鈥檒l be doing all of my [art] commissions. Then I also want people to come in [to the studio], and it can be a space where they can do their artwork, as well.
It is concerning that generative AI can be used [to create art], but I think like what Dillynn said, as long as we鈥檙e able to identify that it was AI-generated, so artists aren鈥檛 taking credit for something that AI did. That is something that I worry about and can cause a problem, but I鈥檓 not too concerned about it.
