Presented by Kaan Ramazanoğulları, Langley High School in Virginia.
Organized by The Light Millennium Global, in support of the Observance of the International Day of Education #EducationDay2026
In collaboration with the Coalition for the #CompulsoryPeaceICTsCampaign #7
Aligned with the UNESCO 2026 Dedication Theme: “The Power of Youth in Co-Creating Education”
• Booklet (including brief bios of the speakers)

“We need to learn how to question the machine rather than follow it“

[LMGlobal.Org] Hi everyone, my name is Kaan Ramazanogullari, and I’m a tenth grade student at Langley High School in Virginia. It’s an honor to be part of this Compulsory Peace and Information and Communication Technology Program for International Education day. When we talk about ICT these days, the conversation usually starts and ends with 2 letters, AI. As students, we see AI utilized everywhere. It’s an accessible tool to almost everyone and can be used as a useful aid for our daily tasks. But as we celebrate the “Power of Youth” today, we have to ask ourselves: In a world where machines can perform any educational task, what is there left for students to do?

There are pros and cons with AI in education. Starting off with the pros, AI can serve as a personal tutor that is always available whenever you need it. It can help to provide a framework for school projects, assist in finding better alternative resources, and can fasten the amount of time needed to complete school tasks, ultimately aiming to make education more efficient. It can help a student in a remote village gain access to learning tools that weren’t once available, helping to level the playing field for accessibility.

But the cons are just as real. If we use AI to do all of our thinking, our mental muscles start to deteriorate. For example, If I let Open AI write my essay, I’m not just skipping the work, I’m skipping the struggle that actually makes me smarter. AI diminishes the need for human connection, critical thinking skills, and ethical judgement.

So, what’s my solution? My generation doesn’t need an education plan that just teaches us how to use tools. We need a plan that preserves our Human Advantages. These include critical thinking, empathy, and ethical judgement.

AI doesn’t have a moral compass; it just has data.

One example is that AI can give us an answer, but it can’t tell us if the answer is right in a deeply logical sense. We need to learn how to question the machine rather than follow it. We must be the pilots of this technology, not just the passengers.

In addition, a computer can simulate a conversation, but it can’t comprehend the nature of a person’s problems. True peace isn’t just the absence of conflict, it’s the presence of human understanding.

Lastly, AI doesn’t have a moral compass; it just has data. It’s up to us to decide how technology is used for peace, not for division.Lets use AI to handle the data so we can use our minds for creating and building a more peaceful world.

Thank you for listening.

©2026, The Light Millennium Global – www.lmglobal.org