- “The use of AI in journalism shows more danger than promise,” an anonymous author writes in the student newspaper at Tuscarora High School in Frederick, Maryland.
- “As an artist, I have spent my life perfecting my artwork,” writes Abby Gessford in the student newspaper at Edwardsville High School in Illinois. “I strive toward the perfection I will never reach because real art isn’t perfect. Generative AI gives the illusion of perfection in a matter of moments. It is a belittling experience to pour your heart and soul into your work to then find AI generated crap lacking life, soul and human spark all over your community.”
The Tuscarora article points out the dangers of AI hallucinations that go unchecked, using a now-infamous fabricated summer reading list that was actually published in the Chicago Sun-Times and Philadelphia Inquirer. An insert recommended 15 books as good summer reads, but 10 of them were complete hallucinations on the part of the AI assistant the freelance author used to build the list.
In owning up to the error, Chicago Public Media CEO Melissa Bell apologized for the oversight, noting that the insert was handled through business partnerships and bypassed the regular newsroom editing process, CBS News reported.
But spreading misinformation isn’t the only danger students are noticing. AI has also had somewhat of a corrupting affect on the fine arts.
Abby in Edwardsville goes so far as to say, “Generative AI will be the downfall of society,” posting with her article a screenshot of an AI-generated painting of a hand with either six or seven fingers (it’s really hard to tell, since the art is somewhat abstract).
“Whether for studying or researching, AI can be a useful tool, but when used to create art — no matter the reason — it betrays the parts of people that are still human,” she writes. “We are not robots.”