[TRANSCRIPT]

Aiden Cheung: One of the fastest growing topics in technology, business and education is artificial intelligence, from AI chatbots to self-driving cars. AI seems to be everywhere, but some experts are beginning to ask an important question, are we in an AI bubble? In today’s podcast, we’ll explore whether the rapid rise of AI is sustainable innovation or a potential economic bubble similar to the past tech booms. We’ll be speaking with several students to hear their thoughts on AI’s future and its impact on our generation. I’ll pass it over to Nicholas.

Nicholas Chang: Hello, my name is Nicholas Chang, and I am the Sports Editor for The Arcadia Quill. Today we’re talking about AI and the AI bubble with…

Tiffany Zhang: Tiffany Zhang, President of the Arcadia Business Association. 

Nicholas Chang: So just to get started, what’s your experience with AI? This can be anything like tools like chat GPT, image generation, or coding assistance. 

Tiffany Zhang: I’ve been following AI for a while, specifically the legality and development of it. I don’t personally use AI for homeworker studying because I think it is unethical. 

Nicholas Chang: So, our first major question for you is based on the idea that AI is overhyped. Do you think, personally, that the way AI has been presented has been over exaggerated? 

Tiffany Zhang: I think some parts of AI are overhyped, especially claims that will solve every problem or replace most human work soon. But the underlying technology is still very powerful and will likely have a long-term impact similar to the internet. 

Nicholas Chang: Well, right now, many critics of AI are illustrating the industry as a bubble, much like the dot com bubble. And a bubble is just an industry with an uncertain future that could tank at any time. Why do you think critics present it this way? 

Tiffany Zhang: I think the reason why people call AI a bubble is because there’s no real income being made with large language models like ChatGPT. In fact, companies like Open AI have announced potential bankruptcies as early as 2027 due to the lack of true monetization combined with high cost to function. Right now, they are only sustaining themselves through investors, but when those are gone, the AI models will likely collapse. 

Nicholas Chang: So, do you personally think that these AI investments will crash, remain steady or increase?

Tiffany Zhang: Investments will probably decrease as the hype around the industry dwindles. Shareholders are unlikely to continue investing, given the lack of profit currently in the industry, but I don’t think it will outright crash, especially due to the recent government investments in artificial intelligence for military usage. 

Nicholas Chang: So, do you think that AI is comparable to past tech booms like the dot-com bubble?

Tiffany Zhang: It’s, yes, a pivotal development in technology, but do you see it crashing that easily? I definitely see the AI industry as comparable to the dot-com bubble. As I stated before, large language models have little to no revenue generation. I think unless large AI hosts can create generative AI that uses resources efficiently and is able to monetize their product properly, the bubble will eventually burst. If there are no shareholders backing it, the operating cost will not be mitigated by investments. leading to rapidly diminishing funds being allocated for operation across the board. However, I also think that smaller AI assistants that run on the local device may become more prevalent if large models are unable to sustain themselves. 

Nicholas Chang: So, we keep comparing the AI industry to the dot-com bubble and the internet in general. But these, and these are massively pivotal foundations to our modern job market. And one of the biggest concerns with AI is its framing as a job killer in the media, and if it follows these, the trends of these foundational technologies, do you see AI affecting future careers? 

Tiffany Zhang: I think AI will probably change many jobs rather than eliminating them completely. Many careers will start using AI as a tool. So people who know how to work with it will likely have an advantage. One big concern people have with AI is the possibility of it replacing jobs entirely. I believe AI, primarily machine learning that has been specialized for certain tasks may fully replace some jobs, but many professional fields, such as medicine and law, will remain largely unaffected. 

Nicholas Chang: And one last question, are you personally worried about AI’s growth, especially with how it’s being used right now by our military? 

Tiffany Zhang: I’m absolutely worried about AI’s growth and the direction it is being steered in. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but recently the US government offered a multitude of large AI companies large sums of money to create and utilize AI for war. Additionally, AI has been trained on the stolen works of many, many digital creators such as artists, writers, and photographers, diminishing the value placed on human works. 

Nicholas Chang: And thank you for joining us today. I think that was a great interview.

Jake Garcia: Hi, I’m Jake Garcia, photography editor for The Arcadia Quill.

Ava Rodan: Hi, I’m Ava Rodan. I’m a student at Arcadia High School.

Jake Garcia: Okay, how often Ava, do you use AI for school? And what do you usually use it for?

Ava Rodan: I use AI pretty regularly, especially for school assignments. I usually use it when I’m stuck on something like understanding concepts or figuring out how to start an essay. It helps break things down in a simpler way, which makes it easier to understand. I also use it to like, organize my ideas or check my work, but I try not to rely on it for everything, because I still want to actually learn the material.

Jake Garcia: Okay, thank you. Do you think AI has changed the way you learn?

Ava Rodan: Yeah, I think it definitely has. It makes learning more efficient, because I can get a quick explanation without having to search through a bunch of different sources, but at the same time, it can make learning feel more passive if you’re not careful. I realized that it’s important to actually think through the information instead of just accepting what AI gives you. So I try to use it more as a support tool, rather than a replacement

Jake Garcia: Okay, what’s one situation where AI actually helped you succeed in school?

Ava Rodan: One time, I was struggling with a concept in class and I just couldn’t understand it from the notes or textbook. I used AI to explain it in a different way, and it broke it down step by step, which made it a lot easier. After that, I was able to complete the assignments on my own and actually felt more confident going into the test. So it didn’t just give me answers. It helped me understand the process behind it. Thank you.

Jake Garcia: Also, do you think students at our school rely on AI too much? Why or why not?

Ava Rodan: I think it depends on the student. Some people probably rely on it too much, especially if they’re just using it to get answers quickly without really understanding the work. But I also think a lot of students use it responsibly as a tool to help them learn. It’s kind of like any technology. It can be helpful or harmful depending on how you use it. The key is making sure it’s supporting your learning instead of replacing it.

Jake Garcia: Thank you. And for our last question, how do you think AI will affect students like you in the future,

Ava Rodan: I think AI is going to become a normal part of both school and future careers. Students will probably need to learn how to use it effectively, not just avoid it. It might change the skills that are most important, like focusing more on critical thinking, creativity and problem solving instead of just memorizing information, I also think it could create new opportunities, but it will require people to adapt and learn how to work alongside AI

Jake Garcia: Perfect, thank you so much.

Jason Mai: My name is Jason Mai, and I’ll be cyber security President next year. 

Lorin Leung: What is your experience with AI? 

Jason Mai: I have some experience trying AI tools because I’m interested in technology and cyber security. I don’t use AI much for school work, but I like learning how it works and what risks it can create. 

Lorin Leung: Do you think AI is overhyped? 

Jason Mai: Yes, I think some people exaggerate what AI can do right now, it is powerful, but it still has limits and won’t replace humans anytime soon. 

Lorin Leung: Why do critics say AI is a bubble? 

Jason Mai: I think they believe too much money is being invested too quickly, and not all AI companies will succeed. This makes the future of the industry seem uncertain. 

Lorin Leung: Do you think AI investment will crash, stay steady or increase? I think investment might slow down, but it will probably not crash. AI is still important for businesses. Security and innovation

Lorin Leung: Is AI similar to the dot-com bubble?

Jason Mai: There are similarities because both created a lot of excitement and speculation. But AI could have an even bigger impact on many industries. How will AI affect future careers? AI will probably change jobs more than replace them. People understand AI will have more opportunities, especially in fields like cybersecurity. And are you worried about AI’s growth? Yes, I’m concerned about issues like privacy, misinformation and cyber threats. I think AI needs to be developed responsibly with clear rules.

Aiden Cheung: My name is Aiden Cheung. I’m a photographer for The Arcadia Quill. I think that’s it. What’s your name? And what school do you attend?

Jackson Alexander: My name is Jackson Alexander. I attend USC.

Aiden Cheung: And what is your major? 

Jackson Alexander: I’m a mechanical engineer major.

Aiden Cheung: Okay. How much does AI come up currently in your classes, whether that be homework or like, your usage basically, are you using it frequently?

Jackson Alexander: Frequently? Yeah, use it for everything.

Aiden Cheung: Can you describe how you use it? Is it just homework related, studying, things of that nature?

Jackson Alexander: I use it basically, yeah. I use it for homework. I use it to study. I use it in class to understand what the teacher is talking about.

Aiden Cheung: And do you feel like that use of AI is entirely ethical? Are you concerned about that at all?

Jackson Alexander: Probably not. I use it to do my homework a lot.

Aiden Cheung: Do you think in the engineering space, do you feel that AI is creating more opportunities, or retracting opportunities, or adding in any way.

Jackson Alexander: Engineering specifically, I would say it’s probably closer to indifferent. It doesn’t, I wouldn’t say it’s adding any opportunities, but I don’t really see AI taking over engineering jobs.

Aiden Cheung: I mean, do you find it there? You think there’s anything interesting to say about AI relating to engineering. You think there’s any, like, interesting applications, potentially, any value in investing in this type of thing financially?

Jackson Alexander: I mean, there’s definitely a value investing. And this is like, it’s about, it’s like, the next big thing for sure. I just don’t know. It’s just not advanced yet enough to, like, be super useful in engineering. I’m sure it’ll get there one day, but like, as it currently is, yeah, there’s some use cases, but like, it’s not, I feel like AI is mainly replacing jobs that are simpler and easier to automate.

Aiden Cheung: So you would say that currently investing in a could be riskier to a sense, and that would possibly lead to an AI bubble burst of sorts.

Jackson Alexander: I wouldn’t say it’s risky. I think it’s pretty much a guarantee that AI will only become bigger.

Aiden Cheung: Do you see that in a near future? Or do you think that future is further off?

Jackson Alexander: No near future sounds about right? Within the next 10 years or so, I imagine AI will be even bigger than it is now.

Aiden Cheung: So you wouldn’t say that there is a risk of the AI bubble burst. If there is a potential return on interest as it increases in capability and application, what do you mean? Bubble burst? What does that mean? So, essentially, a bubble burst, like I was, as I was telling you earlier, the bubble burst is, like the over investment into, like, the dot-com bubble burst. They overly invested into it with, like, no return on it, and it like, kind of destroyed the market.

Jackson Alexander: Well, I don’t think I know enough about it to say if it can be over invested, I’m not sure how that works. I guess if it happened for the internet, I could see it happening for this too. This seems just as big as that.

Jackson Alexander: Anything else? 

Aiden Cheung: No. Thank you.