Prefer reading? A transcript of the podcast episode is below.

Jade Velazquez:
Hi, I’m Jade Velazquez.

Jacob Hayward:
And I’m Jacob Hayward, and in this episode we will be debating the pros and cons of artificial intelligence technology.

Jacob Hayward:
I personally think that artificial intelligence does more harm than good, mostly because I see a lot of people using AI to cheat and just be lazy in their daily lives. Kind of half-doing things or not putting their full effort into things.

I feel like it ends up being more of a situation where America is using AI to be more lazy. I know AI is starting to take people’s jobs, and it’s projected to do that more in the future.

I feel like the whole introduction of AI into society is pushing us into a place where you’re going to see more Americans sitting on their couches watching TV or something, and less actually doing work or using their own skills in the world, since AI is so capable of doing everyday tasks for you.

Anywhere from shopping to cleaning your house to setting alarms, schedules, and bedtimes and stuff like that. So, yeah.

Jade Velazquez:
I think that when it comes to AI technology, some of it can be used for good.

There is machinery that we now have because of AI. A lot of hospitals use certain robots to perform surgeries that couldn’t have been done before. Yes, we have surgeons and stuff, but I think they can do things more efficiently in a sense.

I also think that with trying to save the Earth, there’s less pollution with things like electric cars and other technology. So I know that is good.

And then I think that AI, unless you abuse it, can be used for good by helping create new study skills or tools.

In the Chronicle, we use AI sometimes to redo our stuff or grammar-check things. We’re also using Otter AI to record right now.

So I think a lot of it can be used for good. If you abuse it, then yes, it can look like laziness. But ultimately we kind of have to adapt to what our society is becoming, and there is a lot of technology now, so we have to adapt.

Jacob Hayward:
Yeah, I agree. I see that. I don’t doubt that it can be used for good.

My only concern is that it’s not really used that way. I feel like it’s a great tool with a lot of potential, but it really comes down to human nature.

Maybe I’m pessimistic, but I feel like people are going to abuse it to fit whatever they want it to do. People aren’t actually going to use it to complete more unless they have some sort of motivation to do that for good.

Unless there’s more incentive for people to use AI responsibly, like for work or a project where you’re helping people, then people might use it better.

But if it’s just for daily life, like math homework where the only incentive is finishing it, then people might just use AI to finish the homework quickly and not do the work themselves.

So that’s why I feel like it’s going to be used more negatively. It’s going to hurt people more than it’s actually going to help them, even though it is completing tasks for them.

Jade Velazquez:
I think ultimately it depends on the person and their self-control.

Even before AI, a lot of people cheated or were lazy with things. I think it’s kind of a self-control situation.

At some point, do you have to take everything away for things to be fair? Anything can be used for good or for bad.

So I think it’s just your view on it and what you use it for. I don’t think we should just reject it because some people use it poorly, because then we could lose out on something that could actually be really good for us.

Jacob Hayward:
Another negative aspect of AI technology that people are talking about is how it might develop in the future.

I’ve seen a lot of news or videos on YouTube and TikTok about AI reaching the next level and gaining a lot of control over different things.

AI is basically everywhere now. It’s all over the internet. Google uses it for searches, Amazon uses it, and a lot of companies rely on it.

So AI already has a lot of control in our lives, and we’re almost becoming dependent on it without realizing it.

Some people talk about “super AI,” where it becomes extremely smart and humans might not be able to control it anymore.

I saw a video about how they might develop that in the next ten years, and that humans wouldn’t really control it anymore.

There are also concerns about how much personal data AI collects and the fact that there aren’t many clear safety restrictions limiting how much power it has online. That’s something I’m concerned about.

Jade Velazquez:
I think you made a really good point.

I’ve heard about that too, that AI could go crazy or become too powerful. If that happened, what would we even do?

Jacob Hayward:
To be fair, it’s kind of like climate change. People say it’s terrible and it’s going to happen someday, but right now most people don’t really know much about it.

It’s going to happen anyway, I guess.

Jade Velazquez:
Okay, well I think that ends our debate.

Thanks for tuning in to this episode of “Head-to-Head.” Join us next time for another discussion.

Transcribed by Otter.AI.