WEB EXCLUSIVE The sophomores began writing editorials about the dangers and benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) in preparation for the upcoming English unit on “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley.

 “A lot of the issues surrounding AI come from people and what control we have over what we’re making,” sophomore Sonia Alazraie said. “I think ‘Frankenstein’ is in a way a prediction of AI and so it created a foundation for what we’re learning about.”

Before writing their editorials, students had to research and present on different stances on AI that highlighted the risks and benefits AI presents to society.

“My group and I decided to research and present on how AI will save humanity,” sophomore Bella Shea said. “I had only heard the bad things about AI and this assignment has made me see the other side of things and see how beneficial AI could be for society.”

After the presentations were finished the sophomores had to choose a stance and write a 450-word editorial expressing their opinions on AI.

“The stances assigned for the presentations introduced the idea of AI to the class and created a student-curated list of references,” English teacher Rachael Denny said. “Once informed, students were allowed to form their own opinion.”

In English II students are pushed to find connections between books they read and current events in order to further their understanding of the literature, according to Denny.

“Through the research students are introduced to the moral and ethical quandaries that exist in ‘Frankenstein,’” Denny said. “Because this is an editorial piece, students are also given the opportunity to explore their own feelings on the very relevant yet ancient question, ‘Just because we can, does that mean we should?’”

Once finished the editorials will be sent to the “New York Times” for its fifth annual Student Editorial Contest.