Guest Blogger Arabella Delaney is a Freshman. She spent two years learning online outside of Covid-19 restrictions. What she has to say about AI may surprise you.
picture by Markus Winkler
Thoughts On AI From a Teenager
In this day and age, the use of AI, particularly generative AI, in daily life has become a divisive issue. Many people in older generations have shared their thoughts, but it is also important to listen to the thoughts and concerns of members of the younger generation.
Generative AI for school
Many students, particularly middle and high school students, have shared experiences of themselves using generative AI for things such as essays, or plans for other assignments. Some even claim that they ‘can’t do assignments without it’. However, this is most certainly the wrong way to go about it.
If one is struggling with an assignment, they should not immediately jump to having someone else do it for them. And especially not a robot. Worst-case scenario, they will have to get a tutor or study extra hard when struggling with a particular subject. While it isn’t particularly fun, one of the main things school teaches younger people to do is work harder. Without that experience, they will find it difficult in the future to find work and make money.
Generative AI in work environments
Work environments, like school, are unfortunately not immune to the use of AI. The use of AI can go from environments such as companies working with writing, to companies making, and/or promoting, games.
For example, some companies attempting to create promotions for games or experiences tend to use generative AI rather than hiring an actual artist. The pros and cons of this action just do not weigh out. Sure, the company has managed to cheaply manage what they’d have to pay an artist to do, but the artist they could’ve hired instead probably needed the money. The image the AI made could have mistakes they didn’t catch. Not to mention the use of AI often ruins the online reputation of certain companies.
Environmental consequences
Along with the aforementioned downsides, generative AI also damages the environment. While it appears as just a computer program, there are physical servers being trained. This can ultimately cause real-world consequences such as water consumption. An MIT News article covering it states: “Beyond electricity demands, a great deal of water is needed to cool the hardware used for training, deploying, and fine-tuning generative AI models, which can strain municipal water supplies and disrupt local ecosystems.”
Final thoughts
So, ultimately, my thoughts and feelings in the current world’s environment of generative AI as a younger person that doesn’t support its use are primarily fear and concern. How does this affect the internet as we know it? It makes it difficult to believe anything you see, even from trusted sources. Another concern stems from my own peers. It feels as though some of them may grow to have difficulty accomplishing menial tasks in the future if the habit of using generative AI for assignments continues.
Works cited
https://news.mit.edu/2025/explained-generative-ai-environmental-impact-0117
