One key misconception is that it's going to take over the world and our jobs. Kaya
This article was published in March 2026
AI is popping up everywhere. It can help with homework and it can create music, images and ideas, but what do young people actually make of it?
As part of the BBC's AI Unpacked week, the Bitesize Guide to AI asked presenter, content creator, and AI enthusiast Luke Franks to catch up with some of you at the Science Museum, London to get your thoughts.
Luke Franks, Presenter: Hello. I'm here with Kaya and Ojleen. We've been learning all about AI and science Museum. I've got some quick questions for you. So, complete this sentence, ‘I think adults struggle with new technology because…’
Student: They didn't grow up with it.
Student: With AI, I think they struggle because they see the downsides of it only.
Student: I think adults struggle with technology because it's new to them and they need to adapt to them.
Luke: What is your favourite way to use AI?
Student: Make flashcards for my notes makes my life so much easier. I kind of use it to simplify exam topics, so it gives me all the main key points.
Student: What I do is I have my textbook and I put the PDF inside AI and it gives me questions. And I like these questions because they're very specific to the textbook itself. That helps me, you know, learn the proper topics that I want to learn.
Luke: What is the funniest thing that adults often get wrong about tech?
Student: That it's boring? It's not. It is so much to do with tech. Tech is all around us or our smartphones, our watches. You know, it's all technology that advances our society forward.
Student: One key misconception is that it's going to take over the world and our jobs.
Student: They said the same thing about like technology such as laptops and stuff like that. But in reality, we just create new jobs and opportunities.
Student: My aunt thinks that AI is gonna make everyone become lazy.
Luke: What's the funniest thing you've believed on social media before realising it was AI?
Student: I saw like some doorbell videos. They looked really real. But then after I realised its AI.
Student: It's babies dancing.
Student: The monkey and the lion video, that was hilarious. It looked really real as well. It was something about a lion coming near a monkey and they were sharing food or something, and it was just very funny to us.
Luke: If AI could take one school task off your plate forever, what would that be?
Student: Giving me my exam topics like what exactly was going to come up in my exam.
Student: Probably completing my homework. Yeah, my homework has to be my homework.
Student: Maybe take my exams for me.
Key takeaways
The Bitesize Guide to AI invited professionals from many different sectors including fashion, tech, medicine, law and more to demonstrate how they use AI in innovative ways to support their work. When Luke caught up with some students after attending the AI-powered event, it was clear that seeing the benefits of AI in real time had a huge impact.
What stood out most is that teenagers aren’t scared of AI, instead you're curious about it. You think about how it works, question what it gives you, and already use it in lots of thoughtful ways.
Where do you think AI is going?
The future of AI is exciting but also hard to predict because it's changing so fast.
For students in full time education, it might be tempting to use AI to skip the hard parts of homework or exams, but that’s really not what it’s best for. Instead, AI works brilliantly as a tool to boost your understanding, spark ideas and help you learn in your own way.
Wherever it is headed, it is clear that young people are ready to learn about new updates and use AI to their advantage.
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