AI : Friend or Foe?

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Good morning, honorable judges, respected teachers… and brilliant minds in this room!

Let me start with one simple question.

Who here has ever used Google, YouTube, or ChatGPT?

See? Almost everyone!

Congratulations, my friends... you are already living with Artificial Intelligence!

Cool, right?

But here’s another question:

Is Artificial Intelligence — our friend… or our foe?

Will it help us become smarter… or replace us completely?

As Elon Musk once said,

“Artificial Intelligence is more dangerous than nuclear weapons — but also our biggest opportunity.”

So today, let’s explore this together:

AI — friend or foe?

The answer might surprise you.

Let’s begin with the bright side — the friendly face of AI.

When you ask Siri for directions,

when Netflix suggests your favorite movie,

when doctors use AI to detect cancer early —

that’s not magic. That’s artificial intelligence working for humanity.

During the pandemic, AI helped scientists analyze data and develop vaccines faster than ever.

AI helps farmers predict weather, helps teachers design lessons,

and helps students — yes, students like us — learn smarter.

Imagine an assistant that never sleeps, never gets tired,

and always learns something new every second.

Sounds awesome, right?

That’s AI — our super-smart, super-helpful friend.

But… what happens when your friend becomes too smart?

Imagine robots replacing teachers.

Imagine computers deciding who gets a job… or who doesn’t.

Imagine deepfakes — videos that look real, but are totally fake — spreading lies around the world.

Scary? It should be.

Because AI can think, but it cannot feel.

It can calculate… but it cannot care.

If we let AI control everything,

we risk losing what makes us human — our empathy, our creativity, our compassion.

AI might be able to write a poem…

but it can’t feel the heartbreak behind the words.

It might compose a symphony…

but it doesn’t understand the tears that music can bring.

So yes, AI is powerful.

But without human guidance, that power can turn against us.

So… what should we do?

Should we destroy AI? No!

Should we fear it? Definitely not!

The answer is balance.

AI is like fire —

it can cook your food… or burn your house.

It depends on how you use it.

As students, we must learn to use AI wisely.

Use it to learn, not to cheat.

Use it to create, not to copy.

Use it to build, not to destroy.

Because no matter how advanced AI becomes,

it can never replace the warmth of a teacher’s smile,

the kindness in a friend’s heart,

or the spark of imagination in your mind.

That’s what makes us — human beings — truly irreplaceable.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Artificial Intelligence is not the hero or the villain of our story —

we are.

If we use it with wisdom and compassion,

AI will become our greatest friend.

But if we use it with greed and ignorance,

it might just turn into our worst foe.

So the real question isn’t:

“Is AI a friend or a foe?”

The real question is:

“What kind of humans will we be — in the age of AI?”

Let’s be the generation that uses technology not to dominate,

but to elevate.

Not to destroy,

but to create.

Not to replace humans,

but to make humanity shine even brighter.

Thank you.