By Annabel Hao
~ 13 minutes
“Strength through Discipline! Strength through Community! Strength through Action!” Students repeat their motto with mounting fervor as they march through the school, gripping yellow membership cards stamped with the words, “The Wave.” Faces once alive with individuality now hold a single, unwavering resolve. The students’ expressions remain solemn as they perform their new rituals: a crisp salute, rigid posture, and the collective mantra that binds them together. In the novel, The Wave by Todd Strasser, Mr. Ross established The Wave as an experiment to allow both himself and his students to understand the allure of fascism. Yet within days, the movement grows far beyond its intended boundaries. When chaos overtakes the school, Mr. Ross realizes he must end the experiment and confront the students with the unsettling truth behind their conformity. Both Mr. Ross and his students surrendered their humanity for a false, distorted sense of equality. This artificial “equality” captivated members, arousing a newfound sense of “belonging” and “purpose”. Freedom of speech diminished, individuality eroded, and students yielded to a homogenous collective.
The Wave, therefore, serves as a sinister testament to humanity’s susceptibility to groupthink, and the ease with which individuals can be molded into oppressive uniformity. Today, this experiment feels like a chilling precursor to the risks of losing ourselves in an increasingly AI-driven world. Just as The Wave obscured critical thinking and individual expression, AI has the potential to limit what makes us human. The rapid integration of AI and the temptation to rely on it for convenience paint a troubling future in which genuine creativity and critical thought may fade. Yet this future is not inevitable, because the nature of AI’s impact depends entirely on how we choose to use it.
To fully analyze the effects of AI on humanity, one must begin with a fundamental question: What does it mean to be human? But this singular question, if answered, can unwrap the myriad of enigmas, complexities, and misconceptions that surround human life (Farrar). For thousands of years, we sought to capture the vastness of human experience. Why are we unique among other species? Our existence is an anomaly, characterized by “our capacity for abstract thought, emotional depth, complex communication, and moral reasoning” (Goldstein). Humanity is not defined by any singular trait but rather by the collective interplay of these qualities as they converge (Goldstein). While we share this planet with countless other species, we deviate from the ordinary due to our “humanness,” which enables unparalleled innovation and rapid technological advancements. Although other species are primarily fueled by instinct and a response to immediate needs, humans conceptualize abstract ideas, imagine infinite possibilities, and envision a future shaped by purpose (Goldstein). These capabilities are the pillars that propelled our evolution from primitive ancestors to thinkers and creators who crafted culture and technology.
As generative AI rapidly gains momentum, it becomes more imperative that we embrace the qualities that make us human. Compassion and empathy have always fueled human progress, for they establish interpersonal relationships which in turn ensure that ideas are shared and built upon. Compassion bridges divides, and empathy encourages understanding across cultures and ideologies. When guided by human values, technology becomes a force that elevates humanity. Ethical considerations must guide technological development, ensuring innovations truly enhance the quality of life, rather than undermining these fundamental principles (Goldstein). As we look towards the future of AI, the defining question should not be what the tool can achieve but how we choose to use it. Will we rely on it excessively and accept the consequences, or will we harness it responsibly to build a future worthy of human potential?
Yet, what happens if our humanness is slowly eroding, layer by layer, until our creativity, compassion, morality, and sense of identity dissolve into algorithmic uniformity? Ironically, AI was once valued as a tool that empowered creativity and enhanced the diversity of human intelligence. Today, it often does the opposite. Convenience encourages overdependence, leading people to substitute AI for learning, creating, and thinking. The rush to monetize AI reveals a troubling trend: the replacement of human intelligence with AI intelligence. Why learn to write when an AI can do it for you? Why should we bother improving our own musical skills when AI can compose a piece in seconds? Overreliance weakens our intellectual autonomy, narrowing the richness of human thought (Bernt, Torsten). In a world where greed, selfishness, and profit dominate, the overreliance on AI can motivate us to sacrifice our intellectual and creative autonomy. The incompetency of AI’s content is due to its inability to “create from the heart or soul; it regurgitates patterns based on the vast datasets it has consumed” (Bernt and Torsten). Thus, when everyone draws out of the same pool of creativity and knowledge, humans lose the uniqueness and imperfection that defines human work. The “dumbification” of humanity yields a society where cultural output becomes sterile, where creativity is reduced to a series of predictable algorithms – one where humanity loses its ability to think critically.
Increasingly, people allow statistical analysis and data-driven profiling to define them. Who we are and what we should do can be “answered” by AI, which can ultimately “anticipate” our next shopping choices, political leanings, and even our potential career paths, thus creating the illusion that identity is something computed rather than cultivated. In reality, reliance on these systems risks surrendering the formation of identity to technology. Identity should be something we actively shape, not something determined by patterns in our digital footprint. We should be able to choose who we are (Leuenberger). We should be the ones who nurture, develop, and shape our identity. We may lose skills for “self-creation, calcify [our] identity, and cede power over [our] identity to companies and government” (Leuenberger). In our quest to build machines that mimic or surpass human intelligence, it is evident that we have underestimated the value of our own minds. AI doesn’t experience valuable emotions such as joy, pain, loss, or love. Authentic creativity emerges from lived experience, not from data analysis.
In any artistic practice, the process itself determines the value of the result. I recently read an artist lamenting that drawing feels pointless if machines can do it better. “What is the point in drawing if there are machines out there that can do it better than us?” In reality, the significance of art lies in the perseverance, reflection, and self-expression that arise in the process. The imperfections that reveal a personal struggle or a moment of insight give art its authenticity. Additionally, “better” is a subjective word that is open to interpretation, but I believe “better” defines any work that reflects the artist’s unique identity in a way that surprises yet resonates with the viewer. A piece resonates when it carries the weight of a lived experience. AI “can only learn how something ‘should’ sound or look by analysing huge amounts of existing work” (Ehrhardt). Artists like Billie Eilish and Lana Del Rey channel emotions rooted in memory, vulnerability, and human experience.
People who fear that AI alone could endanger humanity often argue that we are victims of the AI effect – a human tendency to emphasize the human attributes we do not share with AI. Traits such as “humor, having a personality, holding beliefs, having relationships, upholding a culture, etc.” are said to have become increasingly important to us as humans (Simmons, Santoro, and Monin). As AI becomes more ubiquitous, it is only logical that individuals will place greater importance on soft skills that help humans stand out and express their values. However, it is not true that we reinforce the skills that distinguish humans merely because we are afraid of AI’s intelligence and the possibility of a future where machines triumph, and we are left redundant. In reality, “the future lies not in AI versus humans” (Flitter), for both parties possess unique strengths that complement one another. Although AI may surpass humans in some conventional aspects of intelligence, such as efficiency, data processing, precision in calculations, strategic decision-making, complex mathematical concepts, or pattern analysis, humans possess a special form of intelligence that operates on cognition, emotional intelligence, creativity, and adaptability (Uniyal and Kumar). Instead of fearing AI as a replacement, we should view it as a powerful tool that, when used ethically and in conjunction with human intelligence, can render unprecedented advancements and improvements in various fields.
In the resolution of The Wave by Todd Strasser, Mr. Ross holds an assembly for members of The Wave, understanding that it must end. Within this assembly, Mr. Ross sees his experiment through to a powerful conclusion by teaching members the lesson he intended to teach: the potent dangers of collective equality. Today, humanity experiences a rendition of The Wave as we lose the essence of being human in an AI-driven world. Now, more than ever, we must ask: Where do we go from here? The answer is not to abandon AI entirely – it is a powerful tool that has the potential to enhance human capabilities while also boosting innovation. Although we cannot rally the world for an assembly like Mr. Ross, we can take a step towards an intelligent yet innovative future by educating those around us.
To start off, we must emphasize the importance of maintaining a balance to prevent the overuse of AI. With the balance in mind, we understand the importance of nurturing our problem-solving skills, creativity, and emotional intelligence alongside technological advancements (Samradni). We will learn to recognize that while a world driven by AI-generated mediocrity may be efficient, it is not fulfilling. In the long run, we can advocate for education systems to focus on encouraging and cultivating creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence, skills AI cannot replicate (Bernt and Torsten). If we continue to excessively rely on AI without reflection or change, we risk creating a society that is dull, homogenized, and devoid of human qualities. To find a balance between AI and human intelligence, we, as individuals, must continuously question: At what cost to our individual expression and autonomy do we allow AI to anticipate and potentially shape our choices? As Carl Sagan famously said, “For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.” In the vastness of AI, our humanness, with its blend of intellect, emotion, and morality, is the beacon that will light our way forward for a future worthy of our potential.
Youth Stemline 