Growing Up with AI: Teenagers Share Their Views on the Influence of AI in Their Lives
In an era where artificial intelligence is rapidly integrating into daily life, teenagers across the United States are experiencing its effects firsthand. From high school classrooms to personal devices, AI is influencing how young people learn and interact with the world.
Fifteen-year-old Charles Ansevin from Gates Mills, Ohio, considers ChatGPT a friendly companion. “We’ve been able to have very meaningful, you know, intelligent discussions,” he expresses. Meanwhile, Dorian Prado, 16, from Fort Worth, Texas, holds a contrasting view, stating he’s “very against AI.” According to Prado, “It makes it to where thinking is optional, and that should never be the case. You don’t think, you don’t learn. It’s making us dumber.”
The introduction of generative AI has ignited significant debates, with discussions on its appropriate applications in education and beyond. To uncover the experiences of today’s youth growing up amidst these technological changes, NPR reached out to seven teenagers nationwide.
One such individual, Tessa Klein, 18, a recent graduate from Oradell, New Jersey, finds AI to be a valuable educational tool. It has assisted her with essay feedback and understanding complex scientific ideas. “I think it’s just this opportunity to have sort of like a private tutor that maybe other students cannot have or cannot afford,” she explains.
However, not all perspectives are as optimistic. Dammie’on McColley, 18, from Indianapolis, raises concerns about AI’s broader implications. “I don’t want it to, you know, kind of throw off jobs and things like that. That’s [people’s] only way of bringing in income to feed their families. And if we have a machinery that’s taking over that, then what are they going to do?”
The voices of teenagers like Ethan Ansevin, Rida Desai, and Natalie Vadakkan further contribute to this ongoing conversation. To hear more from these young individuals, click the audio link above.
This reporting was supported by the Omidyar Network’s Reporters in Residence program.
Edited by: Nicole Cohen
Audio story produced by: Lauren Migaki and Janet Woojeong Lee
