Should Kids Use AI? A Debate. Plus. . .

It’s Thursday, September 3. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: The AI takeover is closer than you think. The activists choosing goose lives over human ones. The secret lives of American leaders. And much more. But first: Does AI belong in the classroom? It’s back-to-school season. As parents and students reacclimate to early mornings and nights full of homework, one subject is top of mind: artificial intelligence. AI’s capabilities are expanding by the day, transforming the educational landscape. On Wednesday, New York City public schools—the largest district in the country—announced that it will ban the use of AI for elementary and middle school students. Other districts may follow. But should they? Does AI help or hurt students? What about teachers? And how can we use the technology productively—if that’s even possible? To shed light on these questions, we reached out to people on the front lines: two high school English teachers. First up is Deb Eaton, a teacher in Pennsylvania who banned AI for her students three years ago. Today, she explains why—and why she believes other teachers should do the same. Louisiana teacher Rod Naquin disagrees. He uses AI and encourages his students to do the same. Educators who refuse to integrate AI productively into their classrooms, he writes, are missing a profound opportunity to reshape education for the better. Together, Deb and Rod illuminate the stakes of one of the most consequential debates in education today, from the best vantage point possible: the inside. —Jillian Lederman MORE FROM THE FREE PRESS THE NEWS Iran launched a new round of missile and drone attacks at U.S. allies across the Middle East. The Islamic Republic said the attacks were in response to a U.S. strike earlier this week, which it claims hit a wedding in Iran. The U.S. responded that “the military never targets civilians,” and is actively investigating the matter. Three soldiers were wounded in a shootout between two Ukrainian intelligence agencies on Tuesday. The incident exposed the latest example of mounting tensions within Ukraine’s defense forces as the war with Russia rages on. The jury in Lindsay Clancy’s murder case remains deadlocked after five days of deliberation. If the deliberation results in a hung jury, the case could potentially end in a mistrial. A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Google will not have to break up its ad tech business. While the company will have to make small changes to its business model to avoid antitrust violations, the decision to keep the company intact remains a major victory for the tech giant. A new Gallup poll shows that nearly 90 percent of Americans believe corruption is widespread within our government. The results mark the highest rate in two decades, and a 10 percent jump from last year’s numbers. The U.S. Postal Service is developing a new program to screen mail ballots for fraud. The change comes amid the Trump administration’s ongoing legal battle over mail-in voting before November’s midterm elections. The Free Press is hiring! Check out the job descriptions for head of video and video producer. And if you’re a product designer, don’t miss the listing below! After the voting this week in the House where the Dems OVERWHELMING voted in support of socialism, the DSA has announced that its acronym can remain the same but a slight modification is needed for the "D": from now it will simply stand for Democrat as that is a much more accurate description of its political backers. The DSA and its enthusiastic candidates and rally attendees will also now be referred to as SANDERNISTAS. “a shootout between two Ukrainian intelligence agencies“ Say what? That does not seem good. When are they going to finish off the war and kick the Russkies out, anyway?