by Wrigley Zbyszewski
“The robots are coming” has always been a running joke in my family.
Recently, however, the joke hasn’t landed as well for me. Maybe it’s because I’ve read too many dystopian novels … or maybe it’s because the sentiment is ringing a different tone of truth.
There’s something off-putting about the fact that “the robots” aren’t coming in the Terminator-style fashion that we were expecting. Instead, advanced technology has manifested its way into our daily lives and plans to impact our future, potentially creating major consequences for the next generation of workers and students alike.
Over the past six months, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have not only hit the markets, but also found a way to integrate themselves into our personal lives. Whether that means students using AI for information to write papers, or asking ChatGPT for dad jokes, AI has become increasingly normalized with each passing day.
Artificial intelligence is somewhat self-explanatory: It is a form of intelligence that functions through a computer and pulls information from databases across the internet to problem-solve.
It can be easy to mix up other search engines with this new software, as both provide information. Where AI diverges from the rest of the group, however, is how it can create original ideas and explanations with a relatively high level of accuracy.
While there are numerous inherent benefits to this software, it also raises many questions and concerns.
For one, most people are wondering about how AI is going to affect their careers and livelihoods. The capabilities of AI are applicable in almost any field, from generating ideas to explaining concepts.
AI already poses a threat for our current education system. All of a sudden, I can have a full, original English essay at my fingertips in a matter of seconds. Granted, the essay won’t exactly be bulletproof. Experts have compared this stage of AI to the development of a 2-year-old.
But if this “two-year-old” technology can crank out a six-page essay on Othello that isn’t half-bad, I can only imagine what a “fully grown” version of AI might look like.
This particularly worries me when I think about the future. For students like myself, who are drawn to writing or the literary arts, AI poses a threat for potential job opportunities.
While I am in no state to plan out the rest of my life at 16 years old, I still wonder about what my options may look like.
Even now, we can see the impact AI has had on current writers in the television and film industries. The Writers Guild of America is officially on strike for the first time in 15 years, advocating for the rights of television and movie writers, as their job security is being threatened by the usage of AI in developing scripts, among other changes in the industry.
Writers across the country have taken to the streets to protest in front of different film stages and production studios as negotiators attempt to fight for fair representation and opportunities for writers.
I had the privilege of actually seeing the protests and picket lines myself. Watching these hundreds of people–young and old—band together under one common cause made me realize how fast this new wave of technology is truly approaching.
It’s both terrifying and awe-inspiring.
I do not believe that artificial intelligence is either good or bad. Like most things in life, it’s complicated.
AI will bring new possibilities for advancement in ways we could never have imagined. But I would be lying if I said I was only feeling optimistic.
Change is inescapable, and maybe that’s what’s worrying me so much.
But still … the capabilities of AI are greater than any technology we have seen thus far, and this is only the beginning. I can’t imagine what my life may look like 10 years from now.
Moving forward, there’s only so much that we students can do. Most of our options seem to be limited to keeping our minds open and remaining ready to adapt, but that’s always easier said than done.
The future of technology and the future of, well, everything, seems uncertain right now. But we can only hope that this new addition to our lives will bring positive change and opportunity.
The Mainsheet 