[The idea is from my friend Mikayla Giganti! I just wrote and published the petition. Thank you Mikayla, me and her are a team, show her some love.]

The Islip High school yearbook has appalled many many students for its use of AI (artificial intelligence). Generative AI has been proven to drain our Earth's clean drinking water and steal jobs from artists who worked hard for years to get the skill they have. Not only does AI harm the Earth, it harms the students. 

Imagine: An Islip High graduate is looking back on their yearbook. The images are soulless and the yearbook makers didn't care enough to even spell a word like "autograph" correctly. Imagine how embarrassing that must be?

I have spoken with fellow students who are very unhappy with this. The yearbook used to be something nice to look back on, feel nostalgia, and something for the students to pour their love and care into. Now? It's AI garbage that has no soul or care. And what for? Laziness? Apathy? Since when has this become a place where we half-ass things and don't care about the students' input? What about the artists in our school, longing for a way to assist and show pride for their school? 

We have many art departments, why aren't we utilizing them?

Not only is the problem in the yearbook, there's also a problem with the Musicals our school puts on. The sets and backgrounds have become AI generative as well, and so are the advertisements for said musicals. For last years show: "Clue: The Musical" the main actors faces were put into generative AI and morphed into their characters. Again I ask: What for? Was the school too lazy to simply snap a picture of the actors in costume? Did the actors consent for their likeness to be forced into an AI software? 

Please sign this petition to help me and my community put an end to generative AI usage in Islip High School. For the sake of the artists, those who actually care about the Earth, and those who refuse to let teachers, administrators, and those in charge of clubs grow lazy and apathetic. 

Thank you for your time.

UPDATE: I had a talk with the principal and I am asking for those in charge of the yearbook to come speak with me. Mikayla, me, and those supporting will not stop the movement until we get a statement saying that our school is not allowing AI art usage. It's harmful to the environment and AI art has already taken up as much water as the country of Denmark. This is not okay, and we are not standing for this in our school. We have the valedictorian and 200 people from our school and others that refuse to allow this to take pass. Our intention wasn't to harm anyone, we want to help our classmates. I want to make one thing clear though. Please do not come for the yearbook committee, please do not come for Ms. Buzzeo. I have been told that the yearbook committee was under a lot of stress collecting pictures, and so was Ms. Buzzeo so the only option left was AI. While I don't support AI, there was a lot of stress for the entirety of people involved so clearly this isn't a yearbook committee problem. That is my mistake and I'm sorry. Still there has been many instances of AI arts usage in this school as well as there could've been so many things done differently. 

I was told this should be kept private so the feelings towards the school stays "positive," but according to someone who tried to keep it private the only response he got from the principal was "I wont use AI for my speech." So clearly privacy isnt a luxury here.

The comments aren't "negative" they're rightfully upset that their memorabilia for their last year of school ever before college is AI "art." We stand with the seniors, and we hope you all stand with us. 

Again, do not come for the yearbook committee or Ms. Buzzeo. But we are pushing towards an outright AI art ban in our school and we want to make this happen as well as helping the yearbook committee so this never happens again.

Thank you.

STOP USING AI ART! NIP THE PROBLEM IN THE BUD!