Discovering technology is like unlocking new dimensions of possibility. At its core, technology is a tool that transforms the way we understand and interact with the world around us. From the first spark of fire to the advent of the internet, each technological leap opens doors to innovation and progress. The process of discovery often begins with curiosity—questioning how things work, what can be improved, and what new connections can be made. As we explore and create, technology reshapes industries, challenges societal norms, and offers solutions to problems once thought unsolvable. With every breakthrough, we not only expand our capabilities but also redefine what it means to be human in an ever-evolving world. And if that lead was well-written, just know a computer wrote it.
AI has slowly become a bigger part of everyday life and is inserting itself into the lives of students across the country. With the introduction of a Robotics class, students at NHS are able to get their hands on robots, and most importantly, they get a chance to work with AI. One of these students at NHS is junior Jackson Ahern.
In his Robotics class, Ahern and his team have been using the technology in their robot to help it discern and interpret what it sees.
“In robotics, we have to work with a field with various different elements. It’s good to use the AI vision sensor to figure out where [the robot is] in relation to an object and ‘what object is this’, ‘what object is that,’ ” Ahern said.
With the use of AI in his Robotics class, Ahern has been using and training an AI of his own.
“I uploaded a bunch of images of my cat, and at first it saw any sort of color similar to my cat and said, ‘That’s a cat’ even though it wasn’t. And finally one day I was sitting. I didn’t realize it was up and running, and my cat walks by and I just hear ‘CAT’ echo through my room. Like seeing a kid do something that you helped with, like pushing your kid on a bike and letting go, it was like that moment. I feel pride that I helped this thing learn what my cat looks like,” Ahern said.
As the paranoia of jobs lost to AI grows, Ahern says he sees how these beliefs can be valid concerns, but he also thinks how the technology can be helpful in ways skeptics may have not accounted for.
“I definitely agree that it can take jobs, and that is a genuine concern. But at the same time, we can make sure that those jobs that are taken are the ones no one really wants to do. Autonomous driving, while right now is not the best, as time goes on, as we progress, it could get a lot better,” Ahern said. “AI can step in and do jobs better because they have faster reaction time and better reasoning and don’t have cloud judgment. They can balance everything the same or better than a human could.”
At the end of the day, Ahern understands that AI is not the stereotypical evil robots seen in science fiction movies. With time, he thinks with the growth of AI, the concerns of it taking over will diminish.
“People really shouldn’t be afraid of AI and it’s normal to be afraid of change and new things,” Ahern said. “But AI, while it progresses, and it will be a more dominant thing in society, there’s no reason to be afraid of it because it’s only going to serve to help you.”
This issue of cheating might be the most visible concern for many teachers, but Smeathers has worries of her own.
“I do worry about the dangers of AI replacing student’s learning of the content for themselves (it’s generative abilities), but to some degree we have always had to combat that as educators.” Smeathers said.
Smeathers believes that on the not so apparently awful side of students using AI is the ability to create. She says she is excited to see the way people will creatively use AI in her classes. AI can be a huge resource for students and teachers. Jankowski also can see these resources being put to use in a positive way.
“I think that AI can help students with generating ideas, it can help them get feedback about their writing. It can help them check grammar and punctuation and even things related to style in their writing,” said Jankowski. “It can help teachers with lesson planning, or come up with both strong and weak model texts. I think there is probably stuff I haven’t even heard about yet that AI can do.”
Despite the concerns towards AI and worries about what the technology might do in a classroom, Jankowski has a hopeful outlook for its use as a tool and a resource. “I think Al can benefit in the classroom and we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg of what it can do.” Jankowski said.
The Tesla company, owned and operated by Elon Musk, announced in 2022, the release of what they are calling Optimus or the Tesla Bot. These robots will cost customers roughly the same price as a decent used car, about $20,000. Tesla’s website says the goal of their new robot is to,“Create a general purpose, bi-pedal, autonomous humanoid robot capable of performing unsafe, repetitive or boring tasks.” These robots will go for about $20,000 to $30,000, the similar price of a decent car.
The overall price –and the idea of a robot helping with household chores– has many people incredibly nervous about what the future with these technological advancements will look like.
People have taken to TikTok to compare these Tesla bots to the 2004 film, iRobot, starring Will Smith, or the popular PlayStation game, Detroit Become Human. Both of which are popular pieces of media where technology gets too powerful and sets up a dystopian society where robots can think for themselves.
As videos of Optimus become more popular on social media platforms like TikTok, meeting with backlash from hesitant consumers. The comments range from, “I refuse to accept this. We are losing jobs” to “They will turn against humans, it’s the end for us.”
The Tesla company says the main goal of Optimus is to give humans a break in monotonous tasks such as walking dogs, household chores, or even taking care of children.
While some people are terrified of the idea of these AI robots around their children, others are reacting in a more positive light to the idea of this creation. Mixed in the hateful comments, the Daily News TikTok regarding these robots held comments such as, “He’s so cute” and “It can take care of me when I’m old!”
One of the most used sources of AI is Chat GPT, an AI chatbot made by OpenAI, a San Francisco tech company. Sam Altman, CEO, started the company as a non-profit in 2015, later landing it as the huge for-profit company today. Altman released Chat GPT as a free research preview in November 2022 making it available to anyone with a cellphone all across the world. While humans everywhere have strong opinions about Al and it’s future, what does ChatGPT have to say about it? AI has come in and rocked many people’s worlds, but at least as it claims, it is only here to help
“My primary purpose is to assist with answering questions, generating creative content, offering explanations, and helping with a wide range of topics,” Chat GPT said.
It may be hard to accept such a huge technological change into society, especially with the future being so unpredictable. But the future is always changing regardless of what people may think of it. Chat GPT claims that AI could help humans in ways never seen before.
“With enough training, Al systems can perform complex tasks-such as recognizing images, understanding language, or playing games-often at levels that surpass human abilities in speed and accuracy,” Chat GPT said.
However, AI does have disadvantages, especially when it comes to the environment. The vast number of computers used by Al are a huge energy consumer.
“Models are trained and run to consume enormous amounts of electricity, much of which still comes from fossil fuels in many parts of the world. For instance, training a single large language model can emit as much carbon as the lifetime emissions of several cars,” Chat GPT said.
Chat GPT and other AI sites are seeing more and more new uses, but skeptics are still wary of its future. Chat GPT agrees that there is a right time and place when you need the help of AI.
“Striking a balance between embracing Al’s potential and mitigating its risks will help ensure that Al serves humanity in a positive and ethical way,” Chat GPT said.
Real or AI answers;
1. Real
2. AI
3. AI
4. Real
5. AI