No, there is no gray area. The benefits do not outweigh the costs.
By DYLAN CLEAR
Sheridan High School Student
Editor’s note No. 1: The Sheridan Student Column is brought to readers by Sheridan High School’s 10th grade honors English class, taught by Tanya Busailah.
Editor’s note No. 2: Mr. Clear is right about AI being wrong.
Artificial Intelligence, specifically Generative Artificial Intelligence, has become insanely widespread since the start of the decade, mainly due to the introduction of ChatGPT in November 2022.
AI platforms like ChatGPT have been praised for their convenience and their near-instant responses. However, this AI boom has brought in more negative aspects than positive, with just some examples being incredibly high energy demands and negative impacts on human cognition. Therefore, AI should not be used and regulations should be placed on AI to limit its usage by organizations and corporations.
First and foremost, AI has a negative impact on humans, including but not limited to human cognition and creativity. According to a 2024 article from the National Library of Medicine, “AICICA refers to the potential deterioration of essential cognitive abilities resulting from an overreliance on AICs. In this context, CA signifies a decline in core cognitive skills, such as critical thinking, analytical acumen, and creativity” (Ismail Dergaa et al).
AI also negatively impacts human creativity. According to a 2023 article by the Kellogg Insight, “Unveiled last month, a ‘Fake Drake’ song, as just one example, shows that the creative class – artists, inventors, and innovators of all kinds in business, science, and the arts – are at high risk of replacement by bots, at least in part” (Uzzi 2023). People in innovative/creative industries are at risk of being at least partially replaced by AI.
These impacts are amplified in kindergarten through 12th-grade students, whose brains are not yet fully developed. Researchers from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania conducted an experiment involving 1,000 high school-aged students in the country of Turkey to test how AI impacted students. According to the article, there were three groups: “One group of students was given GPT Base, a chat interface similar to ChatGPT-4, to help them during practice sessions. A second group was given GPT Tutor, an interface similar to ChatGPT-4 but with safeguards. It includes teacher input and is designed to guide students with hints rather than directly giving answers. The third group – the control group – had no technology assistance and relied only on traditional resources such as the textbook and notes” (Basiouny).
While the AI assisted groups did initially score better, once AI assistance was taken away, the AI groups did significantly worse. In addition, researchers from the Pew Research Center found that 25 percent of all K-12 teachers and 35 percent of high school teachers consider AI harmful to their students’ education.
AI doesn’t just negatively impact humans; it also negatively impacts the environment. According to an article from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), using ChatGPT uses about five times more electricity than using a search engine. The amount of electricity used by AI causes excessive carbon dioxide emissions and puts electric grids under pressure.
The impact doesn’t end there: “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.” (Zewe, “Explained: Generative AI’s Environmental Impact”).
According to the United Nations Environmental Programme states “They rely on critical minerals and rare elements, which are often mined unsustainably” (UNEP). Unsustainable mining practices have a detrimental effect on human health and the environment.
Some argue that AI could be used to make positive impacts in fields like healthcare. However, this argument is invalid as the use of AI in fields such as healthcare could eventually replace healthcare workers. Another argument for AI is that it could help control climate change. However, the excessive energy, water, and rare element demands only accelerate climate change, making this argument invalid.
Overall, the negatives of AI far outweigh the benefits.
AI should not be used and regulations should be placed on AI to limit its usage by organizations and corporations. The negatives of AI far outweigh any positives that AI may have. This is due to the fact that AI negatively impacts human cognition, creativity, and the environment.
To reiterate, AI will always have more of a negative impact than a positive impact.
EXCELLENT COMMENTARY!