TEACHER VOICE: AI is an addictive drug that must be researched, studied and confined

“In my English and writing classes, I ask my students to interrogate fictional character bots. The first time I assigned this project, I worried that I would get them addicted to Character.AI — arguably the most seductive and addictive type of chatbot for young people, because it gives students exactly what I assumed they wanted: a friend who never says no, never gets tired and never pushes back. The exact opposite happened. Months later, I asked if they wanted to interrogate another character chatbot. The answer was a resounding, “Nah, that’s old news.” Those students didn’t need to be told AI was addictive. They didn’t need a policy or a warning. They came to their own conclusions because they had been given a structured encounter with the technology — one that required them to interrogate it rather than consume it. Their attitude answered a question that many in education are struggling with: What does it mean to be “AI literate”? No, it is not a fake concept — it just hasn’t been fully defined yet. We’re still researching it. We’re still trying to understand it. Related: A lot goes on in classrooms from kindergarten to high school. Keep up with our free weekly newsletter on K-12 education . The exercise had helped build their resistance to AI addiction. I believe that is what AI literacy actually produces. Not dependence — antibodies. We’re still looking for the right dosage, but finding the right balance and type of AI exposure helps the body build up its protective layers. The activity I engaged my students in helped them learn to interrogate AI, one of the best ways there is to build up the cognitive defense system. It is possible that a small amount of AI in a student’s life might even be good for them. Or, in another way, it might act as a vaccine. AI is being sold as a product that increases productivity and even creativity. The only way to articulate its dangers is to engage in research. That research, subsequently, will shine a light on its ills. Scientists thought cocaine was good for the body before they realized it was bad. Researchers claimed cigarettes could reduce stress before they realized it caused cancer. The AI companies don’t want you to know about AI’s harms . They don’t want you to be aware. Every ruling class in history has understood that a literate population is a dangerous one. Related: TEACHER VOICE: Students must be taught about the potential harms of AI along with its benefits AI is a drug: Heroin. Cocaine. Cigarettes. Alcohol. Uneducated AI use is like getting behind the wheel with no training. It’s as dangerous as can be. I have felt that way since ChatGPT was first released three years ago. I feel that way — often — whenever OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks, or even if I just see his face on my iPhone screen. But this drug is here . It’s being peddled on the streets. It’s freely available, and our students are consuming it in mass quantities. And yet, despite its dangers, we shouldn’t turn away. Learning this new technology does not amount to capitulation. It is — or can be — an act of subversion. Look at it this way: What do we do when a new drug hits the streets? What do we do when a new virus enters our world? Well, for one, we contain it. We capture it. We make a vaccine out of it. And when we find the right controlled dosage, we give it to everybody. We build up the antibodies. We develop a natural resistance. Related: OPINION: Schools cannot teach AI literacy without a way to measure it Physiological resistance is developed through exposure. Not through uncontained exposure, but via monitored exposure. There are no “doctors” of AI literacy yet — but anyone can become one. With respect to narcotics, we know that “Just Say No to Drugs” doesn’t work. Drug education works. Drug literacy works. The more a person knows about what is out there and what it can do to them, the more they develop discernment. It’s the same with AI as it is with viruses. We know that the only way to develop a vaccine is to test it out in small increments. Document the findings. Toggle the dosage. Combine it with other elements. We are all already part of this. The more we ignore the permeation of society by a technology that never asked permission to enter our lives, the more it invades our systems undetected. The best strategy is proactivity. Proactivity is not resignation, it is strength. It is revolutionary. Action, not inaction. AI is a drug. But if history has taught us anything, it’s that drugs need to be researched. So please — engage. Understand. Learn. Because the more you know, the more you help build up our antibodies. Mike Kentz is an adjunct professor of writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University and the founder of AI Friction Labs — an educational technology platform that provides challenging, story-based simulations to educators for training and evaluating student skills. Contact the opinion editor at opinion@hechingerreport.org . This story about AI literacy was produced by The Hechinger Report , a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Hechinger’s weekly newsletter . The post TEACHER VOICE: AI is an addictive drug that must be researched, studied and confined appeared first on The Hechinger Report .

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