“Our Youth in the Age of AI”

What is it like to grow up as an “AI native?” Will the next generation be able to harness artificial intelligence for social good, or will creativity and logic deteriorate?

These are a couple of questions that a Code Girls United panel tackled in Whitefish on Aug. 27.

Code Girls empowers young girls to be problem solvers in the daunting age of AI, but panelists agreed that there remains a responsibility for the community to foster safe and positive use.

Code Girls Director Marianne Smith said the organization teaches three rules about AI in their statewide programs.

“AI is not your friend. AI is not always correct, and AI is a mirror that’s going to tell you what you want to hear,” Smith said.

Smith noted that many students are using AI for good.

“It is so positive when kids have power to create something that they couldn’t imagine,” said Melissa Dunning, Code Girls development director and moderator for the discussion.

Smith said that a team of girls from Browning won a congressional app challenge last year using AI.

“They had an idea about what they wanted to change in their community – which was mental health – and they were able to create an app and use AI within the app to help them,” Smith said.

Code Girls students Sylvia Blair and Katie Valentine joined Smith and Dunning for the panel, alongside Two Bear Capital founder Michael Goguen. Blair is a sophomore at Whitefish High School and Valentine is a freshman at Glacier.

by KELSEY EVANS
Whitefish Pilot |

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