For Charles Ansevin, a 15-year-old from Gates Mills, Ohio, ChatGPT is like a friend.
“We were able to have very meaningful and intelligent discussions.”
But Dorian Prado, 16, of Forth Worth, Texas, says he’s “strongly opposed to AI.”
“We’ve reached a point where thinking is arbitrary, and that should never be the case,” Prado says. “We don’t think, we don’t learn. That’s what makes us stupid.”
The emergence of generative artificial intelligence has sparked a heated debate among adults about what it can and should do. shouldn’t used for. But what is it like to grow and learn in the age of AI? NPR asked seven teenagers across the country that question.
Tessa Klein, 18, a recent high school graduate from Oradell, New Jersey, said she feels AI can be helpful. The AI provided helpful feedback on my essays and explained complex scientific concepts.
“I think this is an opportunity to get things like tutoring that maybe other students don’t get or can’t afford,” she says.
For Dameon McCauley, an 18-year-old from Indianapolis, AI is much bigger and more worrying than a helpful online tutor.
“I don’t want it to be something where I give up my job or anything like that. [people’s] The only way to bring in income to support a family. And if there are machines to take over, what are they going to do? ”
NPR also spoke with Ethan Ansevin of Gates Mills, Rida Desai of River Edge, New Jersey, and Natalie Badakkan of Oradell, New Jersey. To hear what they had to say, click on the audio link above.
This report is supported by Omidyar Network. Reporter in Residence Program.
Editor: Nicole Cohen
Audio story produced by: Lauren Migaki and Janet Woojung Lee
Copyright 2026 NPR
