PALMDALE — Artificial intelligence is here to stay and Knight High School English teacher Jane Thomas’ annual student debates tackled the pros and cons of AI in education.
The debates are a December tradition for Thomas. Her classes meet in the school library. Students are required to dress professionally. Previous debate topics included martial law and abortion.
“This one was the value of life,” Thomas said. “But the debate was on AI. We just picked that subject because it was an interesting one for nowadays, especially in education.”
With AI-powered tools such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude on the rise, Friday’s topic was of the moment. To help prepare for the debates, Thomas screened the 2004 film “I, Robot,” starring Will Smith, “to think about how it could go wrong,” she said.
The film is set in the not-too-distant future of 2035, when highly intelligent robots fill public service positions throughout the world. Smith’s character investigates a crime that may have been committed by a robot.
The students were seated in front of the podium in the library. Students were either in the affirmative or negative sides. Associated Student Body students Lincoln Goodman, Aleena Curtis and Kailyn Garcia served as timekeeper and judges, respectively, for the second-period class. The judges awarded the victory to the “con” side because they said that side used more evidence.
The affirmative side was the first to go.
Senior Elian Equihua said AI engines can serve as 24-hour tutors for students and also support teachers.
“Artificial intelligence helps us create, discover and solve problems faster than ever before,” he said.
Negative, or “con,” team member Esteban Alcala cautioned about misinformation from artificial intelligence and how personal data is used.
“AI is often praised for making life faster, and it’s a lot more convenient,” he said. “But the negative consequences are becoming harder to overlook.”
He said artificial intelligence can lead to unfair decisions in hiring, policy and education.
“Another issue is the growing fear of job loss,” he said, adding it can affect low- and high-skill careers.
He also cautioned that the spread of AI-generated misinformation like deep fakes and fake news makes it harder to trust what we see online.
“Overreliance on AI can weaken human creativity, judgment and critical thinking,” he said. “For all of these reasons, it is crucial to seriously examine the risks and limitations of AI.”
Pro team member Ryan Gonzales said artificial intelligence can help students and their parents learn together.
“Students can use it more than just jobs and school,” he said. He added if they are not feeling well and if they don’t want to be judged, they can tell AI how they feel.
Con team member Nicole Jutila said it costs about $250,000 to implement a good artificial intelligence system, which means not everyone can access it.
“AI is replacing human jobs,” she said, citing figures between 20% and 30%.
“AI has limited emotional intelligence,” she said, adding teachers are usually there for students who need someone to talk to and can also motivate students.
Gonzales also praised the benefits of using artificial intelligence for finding recipes, learning how to cook and getting baking tips.
Equihua said artificial intelligence can helps schools work more efficiently since many schools are struggling with limited staff, materials and large class sizes.
“AI can help schools organize and build communication and offer digital tools,” he said, adding that students can get study help with artificial intelligence.
Con team member Brooklyn Taylor said artificial intelligence threatens human employees.
“Machines can replace human workers, leading to job loss,” she said.
She added that AI systems can also invade personal privacy and collect large amounts of personal data.
“This information can be misused, mishandled or accessed without consent,” she said, adding that artificial intelligence poses a danger to society and that the risks outweigh the benefits.
