Seven Everyday AI Uses You Might Actually Try (From A Junior In The Bay)
By Katherine McKean, Junior and President of my high school AI Exploration Club
Some people in the Bay Area hike. Some launch startups. Some do both at the same time while training for a triathlon. Then there are students like me, who get excited about teaching ChatGPT to write sonnets about overcooked pasta. If you’re wondering whether AI actually fits into regular high school life, the answer is yes. It does. Whether we notice or not, AI is showing up in all kinds of ways—some helpful, some strange, some better left unexplained.
Study Help Without The Search Spiral
Trying to learn physics from a textbook written before anyone had a smartphone is a challenge. AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude make things easier. You can ask for a simple explanation of entropy, or for help breaking down a math problem. Some people ask it to rewrite confusing paragraphs in plain language. Some ask it to quiz them. Some just vent to it about how long the assignment is. No judgment either way.
Music Production With Zero Instruments
AI tools now let you create music without needing a guitar, a keyboard, or a neighbor who hates loud noises. Apps like Suno and Udio can generate original songs based on a few lines of text. You can pick a genre, a mood, and even a tempo. Then the AI builds a track that sometimes sounds like it was made by an actual band and sometimes sounds like a robot had feelings. Either way, it’s fun.
Better Writing, Not Just Copy-Paste
AI isn’t just for writing essays. It can help organize your thoughts, build outlines, explain how to fix a weak sentence, or offer examples of what tone sounds like. Some students use it for brainstorming titles or rewording sentences that sound like they were written in a rush (because they were). It’s more like a second brain than a shortcut—if you use it right.
Creating Images Without Needing Art Class
Need an image for your club flyer but have the drawing skills of a soggy cracker? AI tools like DALL-E and Ideogram can generate pictures from a text prompt. You write something like “a golden retriever wearing a graduation cap” and out comes something surprisingly close. Some students use this for project slides or social media graphics. Some just want to see what a dinosaur would look like in a prom dress.
Voiceovers That Actually Sound Human
AI voice tools can turn written text into audio clips that sound more realistic than the old text-to-speech bots. You can adjust pitch, tone, and even emotion. This works great for school videos, podcasts, or narrated presentations. One student in our club used it to create a mini documentary about pollution in the bay. Another used it to prank their sibling. Not officially encouraged, but very effective.
Learning New Languages, Minus The Pressure
Language learning apps powered by AI offer conversation practice, grammar checks, and pronunciation feedback. Unlike real people, they don’t mind if you butcher your verbs ten times in a row. You can ask for translations, idioms, or even slang explanations. Some tools let you speak into your phone and respond as if it’s a dialogue. It’s like having a tutor, but one that doesn’t sigh dramatically when you mess up again.
Organizing Your Life, Sort Of
AI isn’t magic, but it can help with organization. Smart calendars and productivity tools can track deadlines, set reminders, or suggest when to study. Some apps even analyze how you spend your time and offer tips—though sometimes they just make you feel guilty for watching six episodes in a row. The goal is to use these tools to manage the chaos, not to replace your brain entirely. That would require a whole other app.
Want to bring the power of AI to your school? Check out this step-by-step guide on How to Launch a High School AI Club in 10 Easy Steps.
