By: Julia Valencia

People Editor

On Nov. 30, 2022, OpenAI released a website that has changed virtually everything about the learning landscape for teens in the United States. ChatGPT quickly gained traction, and by the end of 2024, the program had around 300 million weekly users. Artificial intelligence (AI) has infiltrated high schools across the United States and is impacting the future generations’ ability to think for themselves.

The Walton Family Foundation found in a survey that about 33 percent of students between the ages of 12 and 17 have admitted to using AI in their schoolwork. Furthermore, this percentage is likely a low estimate to the actual number of students who have used AI, as it only accounts for those willing to admit it. Now, a scary but accurate reality is that a large group of people will likely enter college without the ability to write an essay that they did not use AI to complete. AI is a very important tool and, when used correctly, it can be beneficial, but the overuse of AI is taking away freethinking in this generation. If we do nothing to stop the overuse of AI, we doom future generations.

Precautions made to discourage AI in schools are subpar at best. Though AI detectors can sometimes tell when AI is used, other times they will either completely glaze over any AI in the text or falsely mark something human-written as AI; this inaccuracy can harm a student’s reputation. Turnitin, a commonly used extension among LGHS teachers, has admitted to not being 100 percent accurate, often returning false positives to teachers. Some teachers have shifted towards hand-written or oral assignments, and though this is a step in the right direction, it does not address the broader issue of students losing cognitive skills due to overdependence on artificial intelligence. A University of Pennsylvania study pointed out that “students are increasingly being taught to accept AI-generated answers without fully understanding the underlying processes or concepts.”

Because AI is readily available to anyone who has access to a browser, it has become a common thing that people will turn to instead of Google or Safari. This accustomization with ChatGPT desensitizes its users from the potential harms it offers. Overreliance on ChatGPT leads to a lack of creativity, which impacts a person’s day-to-day abilities. It takes away from a person’s capability to create and deepen their understanding of a subject and, though it is good for offering explanations, it should not be used for free-written responses that require critical thinking.

The future of education is undeniably intertwined with AI, but we must ensure that it enhances rather than replaces genuine intellectual engagement. By setting firm boundaries and encouraging an environment of thoughtful AI use, such as using it for step-by-step guidance or very specific questions that Google can not answer, we can provide students with both technological proficiency and the ability to think independently, skills that are crucial for their future success.

(Sources: ATPE, Education Week, Forbes, Vanderbilt University, Walton Family Foundation)