Greenville, SC – In a winning entry for the Riley Institute’s StraightTalk op‑ed contest, Furman University senior Libby Adams warned that the rapid spread of generative artificial intelligence demands urgent limits. While AI offers clear benefits—personalized learning, medical breakthroughs and business efficiency—Adams says the technology’s dangers now outweigh its advantages.

From classroom debate to real‑world tragedy

Adams first grappled with AI’s moral questions in a 2022 high‑school discussion about lethal autonomous weapons. The issue hit close to home because her older brother serves in the military. She later cited a February 28, 2026 U.S. military strike that relied on AI‑generated intelligence and mistakenly targeted a girls’ school in Iran, killing at least 168 civilians, including 110 students (BBC, April 2026; The Washington Post, March 2026). The incident, she argues, shows that life‑and‑death decisions cannot be left to algorithms.

Balancing benefits and risks

Adams acknowledges AI’s positive impact: students can receive tailored instruction regardless of background, scientists can accelerate cures, law‑enforcement can disrupt organized crime, and businesses can improve productivity. Yet she likens the current rollout to social media’s early days—adopted faster than society can understand or regulate it.

She points to three core concerns:

• Spread of misinformation and erosion of privacy.
• Reinforcement of existing biases that could marginalize vulnerable groups.
• Concentration of power in the hands of a few tech giants.

According to Adams, these risks presently outweigh AI’s benefits.

Call for responsible legislation

To protect families and uphold Christian values, Adams proposes a multi‑pronged approach:

• Educate citizens on how their data is mined and used.
• Teach prudent AI usage in schools and churches.
• Fund policies that monitor AI systems and intervene before harms expand.
• Address AI’s environmental impact and criminalize unethical, non‑consensual, exploitative human use of the technology.
• Reject the notion of granting AI personhood, emphasizing that AI is a product subject to regulation.

She stresses that the debate is no longer whether AI should be used, but how it should be governed. “Every American must form an opinion before our window to deliberate closes,” Adams writes.

Why Gen Z must lead

Adams argues that Generation Z holds a unique responsibility. Having lived both before and after the rise of generative AI, they can bridge the gap between early adopters and those who remain disengaged. She urges her peers to educate themselves and to reach out to those who ignore the issue, comparing AI’s influence to that of politics—both shape society whether or not we participate.

Libby Adams is a senior studying psychology, politics and international affairs at Furman University. Her op‑ed reflects a growing concern among young conservatives that unchecked AI could undermine family stability, religious liberty and individual freedom.

Original reporting: Greenville Journal — read the source article.