Merely 20 years ago, students spent their Friday nights digging through large, dusty textbooks for a school paper at the library; nowadays, one can find almost everything with the click of a button. Even so, as excitement surrounding newfound technological innovations grows, the behind-the-scenes danger slowly becomes ever more prominent in some of the riskier advancements, including Artificial Intelligence (AI).  

AI currently serves as an intelligence platform based off pure human intelligence, its extensive abilities covering everything from education to day-to-day activities. Many students commonly utilize the innovation for educational purposes, doing so to understand concepts better; however, when a student wants a quick way out of an assignment, AI is unfortunately a perfect tool for the job. Swooping in to create an advanced paper fit for another A in the gradebook, the practice has created a loophole in the world’s varying educational systems, giving students a free cheat sheet at their fingertips. 

Cheating is one of the biggest AI problems, and educators have even started to create [AI] detectors to prevent it,” Pradhyumna Vasishta, sophomore, said.  

 Straying away from scholastic usage, AI is creeping up in almost every aspect of daily life, covering basic practices including navigation, digital assisting and entertainment. While there are definite positives regarding its usage, some argue that there are just as many negatives concerning the creation. A common fear surrounding the technological breakthrough is cybersecurity, with many expressing worries that their personal information will be leaked. Additionally, AI has been tagged as an environmental threat, as studies have shown that its carbon emission can and most likely will reach dangerously astronomical heights. Creative minds have also noted that some of their hard work has been underwhelmingly appreciated since AI began its popularity streak. 

“I think [AI] could be harmful in a lot of areas, but it is the worst in the artistic community. If [people] start relying on AI to make things like music and art, we could lose the ability to think creatively and let it do all the work,” Jinx Redmon, senior, said.  

Technology and growth are truly what makes the modern world go round. Taking this into consideration, many wonder if society is becoming too dependable on something created by humans rather than actual humans themselves. Though it will not be forgotten that AI usage has helped the globe perform challenging tasks with efficiency and ease, many simple activities have started to require technology, worrying many as true, old-fashioned hard work slowly slumps into a dispirited decline.  

“I think [AI] is useful in many ways, but I do think that many people go straight to AI for answers instead of researching or doing things for themselves. Becoming too dependent on AI makes people less likely to use their curiosity,” Willow Ivester, freshman, said.  

Popularity surrounding AI is growing by the minute. While much good can come out of it, it is imperative to take the under-the-radar dangers into consideration, as well. To learn more about how to stay safe with AI, click here.