Forget about betrayal homework and chatbot friends. Some kids are following the novel AI trend: they think it sucks.
In the four years since chatbots entered the mainstream and their marketing campaigns gained momentum, newborn people have become increasingly skeptical of the LLM hype. Yes, many of them still apply the technology for schoolwork and socialization, but according to market research firm YPulse, 37 percent of teenagers aged 13 to 17 flinch when they see AI-powered content like music and movies, and more than half worry about disinformation and deepfakes.
A survey on newborn people’s attitudes towards artificial intelligence shows many contradictions. Adoption rates are high – most American teenagers say they apply chatbots, but enthusiasm is mixed. A recent Pew Research report found that while many teenagers believe that artificial intelligence will be good for them personally, more than a quarter of their cohort believe that artificial intelligence will have a negative impact on society in the next 20 years, citing job loss, a decline in critical thinking skills and environmental impacts as concerns.
Adolescent people are typically eager to embrace novel consumer technologies, but Melanie Green, a communications professor at the University at Buffalo, says artificial intelligence is different. This time, the moral panic isn’t coming from older generations – kids are actually turned off by the way adults and tech corporations are pushing artificial intelligence on them. They are also, Green says, “aware that whatever disruption occurs, their generation will feel the brunt of it.”
Ergo, he rolls his eyes. At Bluesky, parents are linking their children’s distrust of AI, with many reporting that their children come home saying “it’s AI,” meaning “it’s bullshit.” On Reddit, teachers share that students – even those who apply artificial intelligence – worry about its consequences and can’t stand the art it creates. WIRED spoke to newborn people, their parents and teachers to find out why some children are reluctant to jump on the AI bandwagon.