Some Children May Never View AI as Exciting

Forget about cheating on assignments and relying on chatbot buddies. Some kids are tapping into a rising AI trend: expressing their dissatisfaction.

In the four years since chatbots became widely popular, paired with aggressive marketing, young people have grown increasingly doubtful of the buzz surrounding LLMs. While many still utilize this technology for school tasks and social interaction, market research firm YPulse reports that 37 percent of teens aged 13 to 17 feel uncomfortable when encountering AI-generated content like music and videos. Additionally, more than half have concerns about misinformation and deepfakes.

The survey results on young people’s views of AI reveal a considerable amount of contradiction. While adoption rates are high, as most American teens report using chatbots, their excitement is mixed. A recent Pew Research study shows that although many teens believe AI will benefit them personally, over a quarter of their peers are worried about its societal effects over the next two decades, citing job loss, diminishing critical thinking skills, and environmental issues as primary concerns.

Typically, young people are quick to embrace new consumer technology, but according to Melanie Green, a communications professor at the University at Buffalo, AI presents a unique situation. The current moral panic doesn’t stem from older generations—instead, kids are put off by how AI is marketed to them by adults and tech firms. They are also, Green notes, “keenly aware that any disruption resulting from this will fall heavily on their generation.”

As a result, eye-rolls abound. On Bluesky, parents connect over their children’s skepticism toward AI, with many noting that their kids return home declaring “that’s AI” to mean “that’s nonsense.” On Reddit, educators report that even students who use AI express worries about its ramifications and dislike the art it generates. WIRED engaged with young individuals, their parents, and their educators to explore why some kids are hesitant to embrace the AI trend.