Youth, Agency + AI

Session Description

Generative AI has changed our world with unprecedented velocity since its explosion in 2022. GenZ and GenAlpha members are sandwiched between a world where humans had unquestioned superiority over machines, and a new reality where uncertainty is the only predictable scenario for them.

There are approximately 20,000 books on AI, many of which were published since 2023, and yet very few represent the voice of our youth: what are their concerns, aspirations, and intentions regarding the role of AI in their lives and careers?

During this session, a high school student from California, Fira Hovaghimian, will share the results of a survey she designed that collected the fears and hopeful opinions of over 400 peers from 14 countries. She set out to answer the question of how her generation wants to interact with and shape an AI-driven future. Her peers, who contributed to the implementation of the survey in their countries, will provide insights on regional and gender differences across the results:  Matias Gutierrez (Argentina), Kim Stewart (United Kingdom), and Sona Aznawooddian (Armenia).

Global innovator and investor Rebeca Hwang will facilitate this conversation, where she will explore how agency — the power to act and shape one’s future — can be cultivated in young people amid the rise of AI. Drawing from her experience as a cross-border founder, educator, and mentor, Rebeca challenges us to rethink how ecosystems, education systems, and investors can equip youth not only to adapt to AI, but also how to direct the use of this technology to amplify human capabilities instead of atrophying cognitive function.

Key Takeaways:

• Why agency matters more than ever in the age of AI
• How youth-led innovation can offer fresh approaches to ethical tech
• The role of global ecosystems in creating inclusive, future-ready opportunities for young changemakers

Session Recap

Main Discussion Areas

• Introducing Diverse Perspectives: The session opened with introductions of a multi-generational panel, including engineer and investor Rebeca Hwang, AI and computer science professor Alex Cohen (who created one of the world's first internet search engines), and Gen Alpha student Teddy Ortmans.
• Optimism vs. Reality of Technology: An exploration of the initial utopian concepts surrounding the internet and early search engines compared to the mixed feelings and unforeseen negative aspects of new technologies like social media and AI today.
• Elevating Youth Voices on AI: The critical need to hear directly from young people (Generation Alpha and high schoolers) about their thoughts, fears, excitement, aspirations, and intentions regarding artificial intelligence and generative AI, driven by the observation that few published works represent these views.
• Global Youth Survey Findings: Presentation of results from a study designed and led by high school student Fira Hovaghimian, collecting 432 responses from 14 countries.
• Key Youth Concerns and Views: Detailed findings on young people's worries about AI displacing jobs (75% concerned), ethical implications (85% of US students), feeling inadequately prepared for an AI-dominant future (70%), and their stance on AI super intelligence (74% do not want to stop development).
• Trust and Creativity with AI: Insights into high schoolers' paradoxical use of AI as a search engine (80%) despite low trust in results (less than 25%) and the feeling that AI tools do not enhance creativity for most (70%).
• AI in Education and Work: Youth attitudes towards AI teachers (80% not open) and AI bosses (65% would not take direction), emphasizing concerns about lack of emotional empathy and inability to grasp cultural nuances.
• Regional and Gender Differences: Observations on variations in AI perception across countries (e.g., LatAm students feel less prepared but are highly opposed to stopping AI development) and significant gender differences, with females more concerned about ethics and job loss.
• Creativity and Cognitive Function: An in-depth discussion on how AI can enhance or potentially cause "cognitive atrophy" in areas like memory and problem-solving, and the definition of creativity as overcoming obstacles with preparation and opportunity.
• The Nuance of AI-Generated Content: Young people's ability to discern AI-generated content from human-generated content and the shifting concept of "truth" in the digital age.
• Personal Views on AI's Future: Panelists Matias, Kim, and Sona share their personal views, emphasizing the need for self-control, setting limits on AI delegation, and viewing AI primarily as an assistant for tedious tasks.
• The Importance of Human Agency: A discussion on human will and purpose versus AI's reactive nature, and how agency relates to different views on AI's role in creativity.
• Envisioning AI's Role in Society: Teddy Ortmans' vision for AI automating basic, repetitive jobs, freeing humans for more interesting and complex roles.

Notable Quotes

• "As someone from generation alpha, I can tell you that all of us are very optimistic about artificial intelligence and we all think that it could have a purpose, but we're also aware of the flaws that it has." - Teddy Ortmans
• "The Renaissance did not happen for us to forget it in less than 500 years." - 9th grader from Greece, from Fira's survey
• "Creativity is when you use both both preparation and opportunity to overcome an obstacle." - Alex Cohen
• "We just need to ensure that it is limited to making sure that we still have that human parts in jobs and work as well." - Kim

Key Takeaways

• Optimistic but Discerning Youth: While generally optimistic about AI's potential and unwilling to stop its development, young people are keenly aware of its limitations and risks, particularly regarding job displacement and ethical concerns.
• Human-Centric Future: Despite widespread AI usage, youth overwhelmingly prefer human teachers and bosses, valuing emotional empathy, cultural understanding, and traditional learning methods over AI integration in these core areas.
• The Imperative of Self-Control: A strong consensus among young panelists highlights the critical need for individuals to establish personal limits on AI usage to prevent over-reliance and maintain human skills and creativity.
• AI as an Assistant, Not a Replacement: The ideal role for AI, from a youth perspective, is as an assistant for repetitive or tedious tasks, freeing up human effort for more engaging and intrinsically human endeavors.
• Addressing Educational Gaps: There's a recognized need for educational systems to adapt and potentially incorporate AI as a subject to equip students with the knowledge and skills to use it effectively and responsibly from a young age.

Resources Mentioned

• Individuals: Rebeca Hwang, Alex Cohen, Teddy Ortmans, Fira Hovaghimian (survey designer), Matias (Uruguay panelist), Kim (UK panelist), Sona (Armenia panelist).
• Organizations/Institutions: Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), Stanford University, UC Berkeley, San Francisco University High School, Cordoba (documentary collaboration).
• Technologies/Platforms: Mellan search engine, 4x9 (Alex Cohen's new venture), Google, Netscape, Amazon, ChatGPT.
• Concepts/Projects: A survey on youth perspectives of AI (designed by Fira), a new documentary exploring "what's essentially and intrinsically human".

Action Items

• Conduct Deeper Research: The session underscored the need for more extensive studies to understand the underlying causes of observed trends, such as gender differences in AI perception and the link between community empowerment and views on AI.
• Redefine Human Identity: Continue exploring and rediscovering "what's essentially and intrinsically human" to ensure AI is used for functions that are not core to our identity, a concept being explored in an upcoming documentary.
• Integrate AI Education: Consider incorporating AI as a subject in school curricula to teach young people how to use AI in a corrective and effective way from an early age, fostering self-control and responsible application.