It began in Florida Atlantic’s S.E. Wimberly Library, as I was researching an upcoming topic for a high school speech and debate tournament. The question of the debate boiled down to the ethics behind artificial intelligence in healthcare settings. Over the course of a few hours of deliberation and research, my friend and debate teammate (oh, and co-founder), Anik, and I found ourselves stuck in a more general– more existential– conversation over the use of artificial intelligence. I, a history major with a passion for law and philosophy, was at odds with an avid AI researcher and engineer. The question before us: what even is artificial intelligence? And, better yet, how can we use it going forward? The best way to tackle these questions is through a chronological lens: past, present, and future. 

Synthesizing a definitional understanding of AI ought to be the first responsibility for Gen-Z users of the technology. After all, in order to manipulate a revolutionary tool, one must first understand what it is. But it’s not as simple as it seems. Linguistically, the noun “AI” is defined simply as “intelligence” manufactured by a human (or, more technically, an external party who is naturally in possession of intelligence). Technically, AI is an adjective encompassing four fundamental qualities; perception, learning, problem solving, and decision making, as Stuart Russel and Peter Norvig deduced back in 1995. That definition already distinguishes ChatGPT from an average LLM. But over three decades, that simple definition of artificial intelligence has long been outdated. So, do we go with Alan Turning’s more rudimentary definition of intelligence with his 1950 “imitation game” theory? Or, perhaps, examine John Haugerfield’s 1985 interpretation of a more surface-level, symbolic AI functionality? From 20th century intellectuals like Turning, Norvig, and Haugerfield, to modern scholars like Kate Crawford, Yoshua Bendigo, and Nick Bostrom, to timeless philosophers like Daniel Dennett, the task of simply conceptualizing “Perplexity” is headache-inducing. 

And then there’s the modern conversation; the one that students around the world engage in on a daily basis. This discussion is twofold. The first part focuses on current usages and implications. This encompasses the good, the bad, and the ugly; how is AI helping to further the human race, how is it holding us back, and what dangers does it pose to us already? Thanks to its broad and undefined “definition”, AI’s capabilities are currently limitless– so effective analysis of this question is near impossible. Nonetheless, we ought to examine existing industry uses of AI and keep up with ongoing scientific advancements in AI research and development. We also need to consider the limits and dangers of AI, such as its deepening environmental damages, military capacities, and ethical defiances, especially as we prepare to inherit the world of deeply rooted artificial intelligence dependence (not to mention a deteriorating Earth with it). 

The second part of the modern AI conversation handles the future. As members of Gen-Z, we will be the adults using artificial intelligence in the most effective way possible. This is because we are the first generation to have been fully raised with ChatGPT in our back pockets, enabling us to grow familiar with its uses and advantages well before our professional careers take off. That reality implies that AI’s full potentials (and threats) have yet to be explored. That’s where The Ethics Lab comes in: as the one’s responsible for the future, we ought to have a seat at the table for the AI conversation. In the means of philosophical understanding, real-life implementation, legal regulation, and scientific advancement, Gen-Z is more than able to learn from and contribute to the global hive of knowledge and opinion. As AI 

moves forward, our generation must move forward with it. 

Welcome to The Ethics Lab.