Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer the technology of the future, it is the technology of today. From voice assistants to automated recommendations, AI has quietly become part of our daily lives.
For young people growing up in this digital age, the question is no longer whether to use AI but how to use it. Should AI be your helpmate, a tool to enhance your creativity and productivity, or should it become your servant, taking over tasks to the point where you lose essential skills? The answer lies in responsible and ethical usage.
AI is a powerful assistant, but it was never meant to replace human thinking. It can draft ideas, summarize content, or even suggest solutions, but should it decide for you? Should it do your homework or complete your projects without your input? When you allow AI to do all the thinking, you risk losing what makes you unique, your creativity, reasoning, and problem-solving abilities. Ethical use means leveraging AI to assist, not dominate, and ensuring that human judgment remains at the center of every decision.
AI has come to stay and that is the simple reality. Whether you like it or not, it will influence the way we work, learn, and interact. This means you must learn it, master it, and understand its capabilities and limitations. Ignoring AI today is like ignoring the internet in the early 2000s. Remember those who dismissed the internet as “a passing trend”? Many of them struggled to adapt later and missed out on countless opportunities. Will you make the same mistake with AI?
However, mastery does not mean dependency. AI should help you shape ideas and think better, not replace thinking altogether. Imagine a young person who relies on AI for every single answer to any question, how would such a person develop problem-solving skills? Over-reliance on AI can make you passive and less creative. The real power of AI is unlocked when you use it as a partner to amplify your ideas, not as a crutch that weakens your mind.
The opportunities AI presents are limitless. It can help you learn faster, explore careers, build businesses, and solve real-world problems. But failing to embrace it responsibly can be dangerous. Those who refused to learn the internet once found themselves left behind in a world that moved forward without them. Will history repeat itself with AI? Will you stand on the sidelines while others innovate, create, and lead? The choice is yours.
In the end, AI is neither a threat nor a magic wand, it is a tool. A helpmate, not a master. A partner, not a replacement. Use it wisely, learn it deeply, and ensure that your values guide your choices. The future belongs to those who adapt and use technology ethically. So ask yourself, will you let AI serve as your responsible helper, or will you turn it into a master that dictates your every move?
Written by Samuel Nii Adjetey
National Communication Officer, YAO
