AI is its own animal at this point, and these “bots” can collect and use information so quickly that it makes you wonder how we could realistically keep up with it. That being said, this comment really made me start questioning how we would actually impose and enforce limits on AI use so these publishers can still have some control over how their content is being used.

As students, if we don’t properly cite our sources in our academic writing or work, we can get flagged for plagiarism, which can have serious consequences for our academic and professional careers. So, why is it fair for AI to take information from people’s work online without giving them proper credit and not face any consequences?

Nonetheless, someone out there took the time to write an article, answer a question, or share something useful online, and I think they deserve credit for that. It’s their work and their ideas, so AI shouldn’t be able to take that information, leave out the original source, and essentially take away from the people who created it. We can already see how this can hurt creators and publishers, with some websites seeing their traffic drop by over 50–90%, as mentioned in the article. Because of this, I think we should look at ways to change how AI works so people can still share their knowledge online while getting the recognition and support they deserve, kind of like how the open web was originally meant to work.

I appreciate that the article starts off by addressing the biases that can come with the use of AI in statements like this one... Yes, AI use is very controversial in today’s society, but I think recognizing that AI can be used for people’s benefit as well as for their downfall is really important. Because honestly, its true. I know I can speak for all of us when I say we’ve probably all used AI for something at some point, whether it’s asking ChatGPT a random question, or using Google’s AI search feature without even really thinking about it seeing as AI has become a integral part of our everyday lives as we know it. So, before diving into an article focused around the attack of AI on our modern world today, I think this is a good reminder that AI isn’t just completely good or completely bad, and its important to recognize how we choose to use it matters too...

I found this part interesting because I never really thought about how much a website like “Stack Overflow” could impact someone’s life through their work or school. After doing some more research (since i am not tech-savvy in any way and dont quite understand code), I realized that these types of websites can play a huge role in giving people access to information and opportunities that can genuinely change their lives. Especially for those who may not have the same resources or opportunities as people in major tech companies. This realization also opened my eyes to how easy it is to take free information online for granted without thinking about how much it can help someone learn, find a career, or build a better future. Because of this, I think it is important to consider how AI could potentially hurt this if it starts replacing the open and shared information people rely on.

The idea of using “harm reduction approaches” stood out to me because I think it is a more realistic way of dealing with AI. Realistically, I don’t think we can expect everyone to completely stop using AI anymore, especially since so many people and institutions already rely on it and use it regularly for a variety of different things. So, instead of telling people to stop using AI, I think we should focus on finding a balance where people can still use it when it is helpful while being aware of its negative effects.

I do wish throughout this section of the article Dash gave us some real world examples of what these approaches could look like in schools, workplaces, or everyday life because I think that would make the idea easier to understand and actually put into practice...

The example of Tim Berners-Lee mentioned here really stood out to me because he was one of the key people who helped create the World Wide Web as we know it today. He created something that has allowed so many companies and billionaire entrepreneurs to become extremely successful, yet the openness of the internet he helped create is now being threatened by those same kinds of companies as they continue to take more control over how information is shared and accessed. Thinking about this more in depth, it makes me wonder if the internet can continue to be a place where people freely create and share, or if money, AI, and large companies will slowly change what the open web was originally meant to be. Honestly, that idea is kind of terrifying...

This comment really stood out to me because I agree that we often take the open internet for granted without thinking about how much we rely on it every day... Honestly, I never really think about how easily I access things like Google and other independent websites, and I rarely stop to think about the people and communities that helped make those resources available in the first place... So, after reading the earlier examples in the article, I found myself wondering what the internet might look like if those open spaces continue to be replaced or controlled by large companies who evidently make millions of dollars off of the work and information that others have made freely available for the benefit of others.