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When living in a country that is constantly developing AI technology, it can be hard to keep up with what Artificial Intelligence can do exactly. From realistic photos and videos to being able to mimic someone’s voice, AI technology has vastly spread as both a tool and a weapon in one of the places it’s argued most; the education system, most notably, the classroom.

Englewood High School teacher, Scott Silva, has welcomed the use of AI in his classroom by multiple students, “I think it’s a tool that can be used to help. Not to cheat necessarily, but to help kids.”

Silva mentions he has seen students use AI as a tool to improve multiple aspects of work, not simply by copying and pasting, but by taking something and making it their own, “It can help edit a little bit versus just taking a prompt, putting it in copying and pasting back what it spits out because obviously plagiarism when it comes that far, but AI is something else, and it’s not going anywhere.”

According to an article by Maryville University, Artificial intelligence is commonly defined as computer systems that simulate human thinking and capacities such as learning. You can find simulated human thinking dating back to the 1700’s when philosophers wrote about predicted knowledge which became a reality in the 1950’s when Alan Turing, a British mathematician, developed the Turing Test. It was a theoretical means of discerning a human from AI, through a series of questions centered around the issue of whether a machine can think.

Javier Tobias, a junior at EHS, has seen the use of AI among his fellow students, “You see it a lot in higher level classes or even lower level classes, either answering questions or writing essays, it is used quite a bit.”

Tobias says he uses AI as an educational tool to help him with his studies, “It gives me a lot of information and it makes searching things up easier. But since it’s so advanced nowadays, it’s so easy to take advantage of.”

With AI constantly developing, Tobias is aware that some AI may be a hindrance, but he believes it can be helpful, “Since AI is constantly advancing, not only does it just help as a quick look up things, but it also gives advice you can use. It’s not just a Google search thing. It could help you learn or experience things better. Maybe you don’t know how to write an essay. Maybe you ask for examples of how to start. And since it’s AI, most of this stuff is original and not plagiarized. So it’s a lot easier and you don’t feel as guilty, I would assume. That’s only if you’re using it as a tool though.”

We asked an AI tool, like ChatGPT 3.5, developed and launched by OpenAI in late 2022, “What is the future of AI in the classroom?” We got seven bullet points and a generic statement, “The future of AI in the classroom holds significant potential to revolutionize education in numerous ways.” These include personalized learning, virtual classrooms, and adaptive assessments.

Marv Carmack is the Information Technology Coordinator for Englewood Schools, “I think it’s very interesting. Recently, we were in a conference nationwide in the US 79% of the school districts are on a wait and pause. They haven’t introduced AI into the learning environment because they’re still trying to figure it out. So I think Englewood is not alone, but we’re trying to change that.”

Carmack says AI comes with a lot of interesting issues, including equity for students, but he is excited to see how it can enhance education, “It’s wonderful. I think you’re going to see some really great advancements. The hard part is it changes so often that we can’t really predict what it’s going to do. I think used in the right way, it will be very helpful.”

Carmack and a team of IT experts at Englewood will soon ask for teacher and student input to put together a roadmap and policies for AI use in schools, “I think that we are trying to create policies where it’s helpful for teachers. So I think in the coming days you’re gonna hear more about opportunities for students to have a voice, the creation of a policy in the construction of what AI looks like.”

Until that happens, teachers and students do their best to wade through the murky waters of Artificial Intelligence, “So as teachers, I think we need to figure out how to adopt it, to teach it to teach ways that it can be used and to teach kids how to avoid using it incorrectly,” Silva said.

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Money. One of the many things that make the world go ‘round. From printed bills to cryptocurrency, some will resort to tricks to gain money from innocent, unsuspecting victims. Those individuals can be referred to as scammers. While most would expect older generations to fall victim to scammers on a more regular basis, it actually occurs more often on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Today, the number one group being scammed in the U.S. are people from their late teens to early twenties all across the nation to fulfill the want of those who can hide behind their screens, according to the Better Business Bureau BBB Scam Tracker.

Scamming can happen anywhere to anyone. Some students at Englewood High School shared some of their own scamming stories, one of those students being senior, Michael Marquis. Marquis says he personally had been scammed by message, “I was given a message on Facebook Messenger and when I opened it, it was a link to a YouTube site. It redirected me to an external site, and it was able to take my username and password from me and lock me out of my Facebook account.” Marquis was later able to recover his information but at a cost, “they purchased something on Facebook marketplace for around $30.”

Scammers are in no way considered new or advanced, as it has been done through simple text messages and even emails. From fake messages from your “bank,” to “free rewards,” to calls from people posing as your loved ones, scammers continue to prey on the unsuspecting daily. The top six scams being used today are;

Fake Social Media Prizes- Someone creates a fake account on a social media site and informs you that you have won a prize or have been selected to win a prize. The only catch is that they need your account number and all of your information for you to receive it. This is an easy way for the person on the other side of the screen to gain your information and use it as they please.

Romance/Catfishing- You never know who you could be talking to online, and anyone can hide who they really are. People can fall in love over the internet and believe that the other person is who they say they are until money becomes part of the picture. Someone could use your kindness against you, make up a story, and take advantage by asking for money.

Sextortion- This form of scamming can be used in multiple ways. You send an explicit picture to someone you met online or someone you know. In return, they save the image and threaten to expose those pictures to your friends, your family, your job, etc. The only way they say you can avoid this is if you send them money or more pictures. It is easy to get caught up in this for many people. It’s important to remember that nothing you send disappears. Don’t send these pictures, and if you do, don’t give the person what they want.

Online Gaming App Rewards- You want to pay for rewards in a game you play on your phone and type in your information, but now those people have your credit card information. The best way to avoid this is to only do in-app purchases directly from the game manufacturer.

Fake Online Shopping Sites- You see a fake website and it just so happens to have your favorite brand, or at least it appears that way. Do not buy clothes from them unless you are sure the site is real. Scammers can create fake shopping sites to lure people in and gain access to their information. They advertise on TikTok and other social media sites. You may never get the clothing item and if you do it is terrible quality and not worth your money.

Employment Scams- You’re hired to work from home, and you receive a check for home office equipment. After the check arrives, the scammer poses as the employer and asks you to wire or electronically transfer the money to cover the costs. Once you send the money, you learn the check is bad. You must now cover the money you transferred. To avoid employment scams, be wary of offers that seem too good to be true and on-the-spot offers. Always do background research on the job offer.

Senior Abisai Quezada-Flores knows of instances of these scams. Quezada-Flores says that his 20-year-old brother had fallen victim to an insurance scam, “They had him thinking that it was insurance he was getting for his car, but it wasn’t any insurance at all. They didn’t really ask for anything, but would ask for information about his car and stuff like that.” People have their own speculations about why scammers do what they do, and Quezada-Flores hits the nail right on the head, “They just wanted to get money from him. They always want to try and get something that they want”

Dillon Schmidt, a teacher at EHS, says there have been many occasions when people online have tried to scam him. Though he has never been scammed personally, Schmidt does offer advice to the younger generation, “I would be skeptical of any time that somebody says they’re giving anything away for free. That’s almost never the case. Also, be skeptical of social media in general, but also just things that are free, like free-to-use products. If it’s free, it normally means that you’re the product. So they’re either gathering data or they are using you in some way that you might not be privy to or, might not understand fully.”

Principal Ryan West was surprised to hear teens are the largest set of victims. He knows scammers are out there and he believes it’s important to be observant, “I’ve always been pretty skeptical because I hear about it all the time so I make sure to always check who’s emailing me.”

West knows students at EHS need to learn how to deal with scammers. It is a part of their education he hopes they won’t learn as a victim, “Always check the return email. Anyone can copy a photo onto an email, but usually, you’ll find the return email is some random numbers and letters. Also always be vigilant. I would have never guessed the most vulnerable demographic now would have been people between 17-25 years old. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.”