Is Artificial Intelligence Good for Society?

Many people are embracing artificial intelligence, or AI. Tools such as ChatGPT use AI to generate text quickly, which some people find helpful for school or work. Other AI tools create images or chat bots. But AI isn’t always accurate or reliable. And it comes with risks, especially if used irresponsibly. We asked TFK readers to tell us if they think AI is good for society. They made strong points on both sides of the issue. Here are four of their responses. Where do you stand?

Rime Lee, 10

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

I believe AI is great, because it can help in many areas. These include healthcare, education, robotics, and more. Some people might think AI is bad for students, because they could use it to get answers without putting in any effort. But AI doesn’t just give students the answers. It can help them solve problems step-by-step, which is a great way to learn.

AI is also useful for digital assistance, art design, and other creative tasks. It opens up new opportunities for work and creativity. Plus, thanks to AI, we have many fun new apps and games to enjoy.

Maren Altrup, 10

Springfield, Missouri

AI can be good for society in some ways, but it could also go wrong. With AI, it can be hard to know what is real and what is made-up. And students could cheat on their homework. This would not be good, because teachers would not know if students were struggling. Also, students could stop thinking for themselves and rely too much on AI. Thinking for yourself is important, because you need to know how to solve problems. Your brain is a muscle. The more you use it, the smarter you become.

But AI isn’t going away. So we need to be careful how we use it.

Thomas McGibbon, 9

Pelham, New York

Artificial intelligence is good for society because without it, some helpful websites wouldn’t exist. It’s also good because sometimes you might have a question and your parents don’t know the answer. Then you can ask artificial intelligence.

I know students can use artificial intelligence to cheat on tests or on their homework. But a lot of schools are able to block those websites so that students can’t cheat. Plus, what’s the percentage chance of AI actually taking over the world?

In conclusion, I think that AI is good for society.

Ellie McBee, 12

Georgetown, South Carolina

In order to generate images, artificial-intelligence bots have to take images from people and combine them. In the past, when I was bored, I used to go on AI sites and ask them to make images of characters I read about in books. I would make these requests using descriptions from the books.

Artificial intelligence created the images using the work of different artists and art styles. It steals the artists’ hard work. It’s cool to look at book characters that were generated by artificial intelligence—but it’s not cool enough for AI to steal an artist’s work.

The Next Debate: Should kids be allowed to use their phones at school? Email your response to tfkeditors@time.com by January 10, 2025. It might be featured in an issue of TIME for Kids.

*Submissions have been edited only for length and clarity. They are not intended to reflect the views of TIME for Kids. Ages are accurate as of the time of submission.