Harbingers’ Magazine is a weekly online current affairs magazine written and edited by teenagers worldwide.
harbinger | noun
har·bin·ger | \ˈhär-bən-jər\
1. one that initiates a major change: a person or thing that originates or helps open up a new activity, method, or technology; pioneer.
2. something that foreshadows a future event : something that gives an anticipatory sign of what is to come.
We and our partners may store and access personal data such as cookies, device identifiers or other similar technologies on your device and process such data to personalise content and ads, provide social media features and analyse our traffic.
As of 2025, around 54%of students use AI (artificial intelligence) in school on a weekly basis.
While AI has its benefits, over-reliance can diminish analytical and critical thinking skills. It can reduce students’ creativity, which further increases their dependency on AI to generate their assignments for them. Studies showthat over-reliance can potentially reduce critical thinking skills by 75%.
It is also true that students use AI due to constant academic pressure. High expectations to do well make teens afraid of making mistakes or asking for help. This creates a cycle where students distance themselves from teachers and turn to AI, instead of having discussions on concerns, analyses and feedback.
While 28% of US teachers oppose AI in their classrooms, 60% report saving nearly six hours of work per week. This significantly changes the approach students have towards their own work.
Though some might argue that assessment using AI makes grading objective, many students prefer having a human response to our work, even if it makes that feedback slightly subjective. When teachers use AI, it motivates students to also use AI in their own work, thinking that if they are being assessed by a software programme then what’s the point of putting genuine work in?
Also, there are ethical considerations when teachers upload students’ work to softwares such as ChatGPT as it can breach their intellectual property.
Regardless, it’s our observation that part of the discourse we hear around this topic is that although teachers may regard AI as a threat towards academic integrity, AI’s accessibility has the abilityto close educational gaps between individuals who come from underprivileged and wealthier backgrounds.
The averagetutoring price per hour for test preparation in the US is $45 to $100. Popular chabots built on large language models(LLMs) – such as Google’s Gemini, Microsoft’s Copilot, Meta Platforms’ Meta AI and OpenAI’s ChatGPT – have versions that are free to use, offering students, who may not be able to afford tutors, academic assistance anywhere they have access to the internet.
Private tutors can argue that in these circumstances AI’s role is not so much about completing assignments on behalf of students but rather guiding and mentoring their students toward independent learning and a more concrete understanding of concepts.
Similarly, if used correctly, AI can have a positive impact on the student’s academic journey, helping them in a manner that fits their school’s academic guidelines while staying away from plagiarism and issues regarding academic integrity.
A sentiment across the board
The fact is that AI is everywhere in schools around the world. Even though such a monumental change in education that has already begun may feel unsettling, LLMs are not going anywhere. Nevertheless, with AI being integrated into more classrooms, it is important not just to recognise its positive attributes, but also to understand its shortcomings that may hinder educational progress.
Once you use AI, it’s hard to believe you won’t keep coming back after seeing its attributes. Many opportunities become available. It is tempting. Some can’t stop using it to fulfill their assignments, figure out how to fix their computer or even to send an email. Not even Google was this efficient.
Temptation then meets addiction, meaning you wouldn’t be able to imagine your world without ChatGPT or another AI tool. That change could happen without you even noticing – according to Bournemouth University research, AI addiction is actually a thing.
Why is this bad? There’s something quietly corrosive about how AI is changing the way we think. In classrooms, curiosity is dying because the incentive to wonder has simply collapsed.
The question posed is quite simple: why wrestle with a question when a tool can give you a straightforward, highly accurate answer in seconds?
For centuries, education has worked by forcing you to sit with ideas, test your instincts and trust your own judgement. But today, students often trust AI more than themselves – not out of laziness, but because they’ve stopped practicing the slow, uncomfortable work of thinking independently.
An MIT-based study recently tracked how students wrote with and without AI. The group using AI showed noticeably lower cognitive engagement and remembered far less of what they had written.
AI can be a powerful resource, but if we’re not careful, it risks eroding the same intellectual curiosity that education is meant to protect.
AI doesn’t just change how we study; it’s changing how we interact on a daily basis. With so many tasks now handled by it, students are spending less time collaborating or hanging out in their free time. Over time, this will impact our social skills negatively, especially those of younger and future generations, who were and will be introduced to AI at a very young age.
Even when working on group projects, students may lean on AI to coordinate tasks, rather than talking it through together. While AI can definitely make tasks a lot easier, it risks creating a generation of people who are efficient at using technology but unable to properly interact. We think the latter should be a priority.
Harbingers’ Weekly Brief
Subscribe to the Harbingers’ Weekly Brief, a newsletter written by the editorial board of Harbingers’ Magazine, the world’s youngest newsroom, delivered to your inbox every Monday morning.
See you on Monday!
Ooops - please try again.
Why it should matter to you
Our generation is uniquely placed because AI was introduced to us at a point in our lives where we had experienced school without it. We had school without AI; now we have school with AI. Even though it has been around for a while now, many schools and institutions still don’t have clear ethical guidelines on the use of AI.
More importantly, we were not taught the ethics of using AI. Even if we overlook AI’s negative environmental effects or its impact on brain development, and strictly focus on it use in school settings, there are still countless questions to deal with.
Many of us would probably agree that using AI to write a full assignment is wrong or dishonest, but where do we draw the line? For example, using AI to proofread or give feedback on an essay that you wrote yourself. Or using an AI-powered search engine to gather sources or teach you things. Are those considered unethical?
Ethics and moral justness are already very complicated, but especially so in a relatively new industry that’s growing at a very quick pace.
Born in 2007 in New Jersey, Noah Aaron Brühl Saphier studies in Englewood New Jersey, United States of America. He is interested in journalism, economics, science, sports, and history.
Noah joined Harbingers’ Magazine in the summer of 2023. A few months later, he became a writer covering economics, business, and politics. After almost two years of dedication and hard work, he was promoted to Editor-in-chief of the magazine. In March 2025, he took the helm from Jefferson He, who stepped down after completing his one-year term.
In his free time, Noah plays tennis and the violin, learns about exploration in the ocean and space, and travels.
Born in 2009 in Kyiv, Sofia moved to a town in Spain close to Valencia in 2020. With her ability to quickly learn languages, she adjusted to her new life seamlessly.
Sofia is an aspiring sports broadcast journalist. She’s passionate about a wide range of subjects including culture, cinema and global affairs.
She joined Harbingers’ Magazine in the summer of 2023, and since then, she began to consistently explore the intersections of culture, creativity, and society. This, along with Sofia’s exceptional writing skills, led to her promotion as the Culture Section Editor at Harbingers’ Magazine in March 2025. Simultaneously, she serves as the Afghanistan Newsroom Editor.
In her free time, Sofia stays busy doing fitness, traveling to new places, and writing short stories.
Sofia speaks Ukrainian, Spanish, English, and Russian.
Born in 2009, Arnav lives in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. He is deeply interested in economics, global development, and financial systems, and hopes to study economics at university.
Arnav joined Harbingers’ Magazine in October 2024 as a winner of The Harbinger Prize 2024 in the Economics category, earning a place in the Essential Journalism Course. During this time, while writing about the global economy, entrepreneurship, and macroeconomics, he demonstrated outstanding writing skills and dedication to the programme. His commitment earned him the position of Economics Section Editor in March 2025. Outside Harbingers’, Arnav pursues projects connected to economic education, research, and innovation. He has a strong passion for startup leadership and for building initiatives with real-world impact. He has also earned recognition on the global stage, captaining his team to a second-place finish at the Economics World Cup, one of the most competitive international economics competitions. He speaks English, Hindi, and is learning Spanish.
Born in 2008, Charlotte attends high school Warsaw, Poland. She is currently studying humanities and hopes to pursue them in her higher education.
Charlotte joined Harbingers’ Magazine in August 2024 as a contributor. She took part in a reporting trip to Yerevan, Armenia, covering the refugee crisis in the aftermath of the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) war and collaborating with students from the Harbingers’ Armenian Newsroom. The trip resulted in several thought-provoking articles, earning her a regular spot at the magazine.
In the autumn of 2024, after completing the Essential Journalism Course, Charlotte became a writer focusing on social affairs, human rights, politics, and culture. Her exceptional writing skills and dedication to the magazine led to her appointment as Human Rights Section Editor in March 2025. Simultaneously, she serves as the Armenian NewsroomEditor.
In her free time, Charlotte loves painting, photography and reading. Charlotte is also deeply interested in the effects of AI on our world today, its ethics, the way it shapes education, politics, society and the way we think. She also works at the Sourcery podcast, which is dedicated to open-sourcing conversations with the biggest changemakers in finance and technology.
Charlotte speaks Polish, English, French and Italian.
Born in 2008 in Warsaw, Poland, Klara joined Harbingers’ Magazine to cover international affairs, crime, and music.
She joined the magazine in March 2024, writing numerous articles on politics and music. In 2024, she reported on the US presidential elections on the ground and, in February 2025, covered the Middle East crisis from Amman, Jordan. Her strong writing skills led to her appointment as Politics Section Editor in March 2025. Simultaneously, she will serve as the Poland 2025 Presidential Election Newsroom Editor.
In the future, Klara plans to study psychology, international politics, or criminology, preferably in the United States.
In her free time, she enjoys reading, dancing, listening to music, and exploring pop culture—particularly how Broadway and West End adapt classic Disney stories into musicals.
Born in 2009, Hesandi lives in Galle, Sri Lanka, and has a deep interest in art, nature, and wildlife, particularly elephants, leopards, and birds.
She joined Harbingers’ Magazine as a contributor to its Sri LankanNewsroom. After completing the Essential Journalism Course, she became a writer, continuing to cover wildlife and science topics. Her passion for journalism and dedication to her work led to her promotion as Science Section Editor in March 2025. She will also be editing articles from the NepaliNewsroom.
In her free time, Hesandi enjoys painting and has a passion for travel.
She speaks English and Sinhala and is currently learning Indonesian.
Born in 2009 in Budapest, Hungary, Lola has lived in Budapest and California, US. She is interested in music, pop culture, politics, and mental health, and plans to study psychology.
Lola joined Harbingers’ Magazine in the summer of 2024 as a contributor during the Oxford Pop-up Newsroom. After completing the newsroom and the Essential Journalism Course, she became a writer in the autumn of the same year, covering society and public affairs. Her strong writing skills and dedication to the magazine led to her promotion to Society Section Editor in 2025.
In her free time, Lola plays guitar, piano, and volleyball, enjoys going to concerts, and creates various types of studio art. She is also a fan of Taylor Swift’s music.
Lola speaks English, Hungarian, French, and Spanish.
editorial
🌍 Join the World's Youngest Newsroom—Create a Free Account
Sign up to save your favourite articles, get personalised recommendations, and stay informed about stories that Gen Z worldwide actually care about. Plus, subscribe to our newsletter for the latest stories delivered straight to your inbox. 📲
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
