To the Editor,

My name is Victoria Lorz, and I am an 18-year-old college student living in Concord, California. I value my education, and I consider the education of a society critical to its existence. However, a threat to proper education has surfaced over the past few years: generative artificial intelligence.

Since the release of ChatGPT in late 2022, the popularity of using generative AI has skyrocketed in America. It has become increasingly popular among students to use AI to complete their assignments. Students are bypassing the purpose of education (ie, to learn) in favor of ease.

This has resulted in plummeting national literacy rates. As of 2024, 21% of adults in America are illiterate, a rate which has not been so high since 1870. In 2022 and 2019, respectively, only 33% of fourth-grade students and 37% of twelfth-grade students performed at a proficient level on the annual reading assessment. Yet, 90% of Gen Alpha, the upcoming generation, is expected to graduate. This is due to their use of AI to cheat the system, to graduate without ever gaining their education.

A recent MIT study showed that using a LLM (Large-Language Model) such as ChatGPT to write an essay resulted in participants exhibiting significantly less brain activity. This suggests that, if students rely on AI, not only will they never learn, but their brain cells will die from lack of use. I ask that American students examine their lives and consider whether they are sacrificing their education and physical health for the sake of a quick A.

Sincerely,

Victoria Lorz