Berkeley High School junior Erin Liao thinks that Arti (AI) will have dire implications for many jobs and people, as well as society as a whole. Liao pointed out that reliance on AI could come with a plethora of difficult-to-address challenges, such as misinformation, environmental degradation, and, of course, the replacement of humans in the workforce. Liao’s views stem from her own experiences with AI. “Sometimes when I ask ChatGPT a question, it will get it wrong,” Liao said. She expanded on this idea, explaining that the greater the dependence on AI, the less people and expectations there would be to catch these mistakes. Liao worries about the scope of future AI usage, and believes that no sectors are irreplaceable by AI.
Luca Small, a BHS junior, has a different perspective on the future of AI and thinks that AI is, above all else, a tool Although Small believes AI will cause change in the workplace, he doesn’t think it will fully replace humans. Small stated, “I don’t think it’s going to completely take over. I think that’s unrealistic, because it’s based on what humans know.” He made the comparison between AI’s impact on the workplace and that of internet usage to reiterate that AI is a tool, and humans will adapt to using it. Small then predicted that training in use of AI applications will be a sought-after trait for future employers. Small said, “Being trained in AI will become similar to being versed in Python.”
Ezra Abarbanel, a BHS senior, predicts that AI will have a massive impact on the professional workplace, but notes that this impact will not necessarily be negative. Abarbanel believes AI will completely eliminate the need for certain jobs, but will also initiate the creation of others. Abarbanal named computer science jobs specifically as likely to be eliminated. “ChatGPT can already code, and it will probably just get better and better,” Arbarbanel said. Lastly, Abarbanel argues that AI will create major change in the art world. Abarbanel believes that digital artistic mediums will be less valued due to the future saturation and quality of AI graphic images; she thinks that artistic mediums will only grow in value due to rarity.
BHS senior Henry Sullivan also predicts that AI will both create new career paths and eliminate the need for others. Sullivan predicts that because of AI’s enormous potential capabilities, any job relating to applying AI will be not only applicable to but highly useful for all industries. In terms of the positions potentially in danger because of AI, Sullivan stated that website assistants were at risk in particular, “because they could just be replaced with a chatbox.” In terms of whether increased AI usage was good or bad for humanity, Sullivan responded, “Neutral, but leaning a bit more negative … it shows we’re advancing, but it could be in a bad direction, it’s hard to tell right now.”