{"id":81074,"date":"2026-04-17T15:37:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T21:37:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/?p=81074"},"modified":"2026-04-17T15:38:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T21:38:00","slug":"calgarian-youths-gather-to-protest-against-artificial-intelligence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/2026\/04\/17\/calgarian-youths-gather-to-protest-against-artificial-intelligence\/","title":{"rendered":"Calgary youth gather downtown to protest Artificial Intelligence"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_81094\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-81094\" style=\"width: 2560px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-81094\" src=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3233-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3233-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3233-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3233-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3233-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3233-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3233-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-81094\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protesters gathered outside Calgary&#8217;s City Hall on March 23, during the \u201cStand Up to AI\u201d rally. \u00a0They raised concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence in Alberta. (Photo by Jullianah Ejoc\/SAIT)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While many teenagers think their opinions don\u2019t matter, a group of Calgary youth attempted to prove otherwise last month at a rally to fight against artificial intelligence in any form.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe should have a say on what happens here, especially because this is our future,\u201d said Lane Koai, a protest organizer. \u201cOnce everything has been replaced by Al, what\u2019s gonna happen?\u201d<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-81074 gallery-columns-4 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/img_3250\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3250-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-81089\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-81089'>\n\t\t\t\tProtesters hold their signs as they chant about their concerns over artificial intelligence as passing vehicles honk in support. The demonstration continued for nearly an hour. Photo by Jullianah Ejoc\/SAIT\n\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/img_3284\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3284-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-81091\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-81091'>\n\t\t\t\tProtesters hold their signs as they chant about their concerns over artificial intelligence as passing vehicles honk in support. The demonstration continued for nearly an hour. Photo by Jullianah Ejoc\/SAIT\n\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/img_3307\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3307-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-81086\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-81086'>\n\t\t\t\tProtesters hold their signs as they chant about their concerns over artificial intelligence as passing vehicles honk in support. The demonstration continued for nearly an hour. Photo by Jullianah Ejoc\/SAIT\n\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/img_3245-2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3245-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-81088\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-81088'>\n\t\t\t\tProtesters hold their signs as they chant about their concerns over artificial intelligence as passing vehicles honk in support. The demonstration continued for nearly an hour. Photo by Jullianah Ejoc\/SAIT\n\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/img_3287\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3287-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-81083\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-81083'>\n\t\t\t\tProtesters hold their signs as they chant about their concerns over artificial intelligence as passing vehicles honk in support. The demonstration continued for nearly an hour. Photo by Jullianah Ejoc\/SAIT\n\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/img_3293\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3293-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-81084\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-81084'>\n\t\t\t\tProtesters hold their signs as they chant about their concerns over artificial intelligence as passing vehicles honk in support. The demonstration continued for nearly an hour. Photo by Jullianah Ejoc\/SAIT\n\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/img_3331\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3331-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-81081\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-81081'>\n\t\t\t\tProtesters are photographed creating signs during the rally against artificial intelligence in Calgary, using art and messaging to voice their concerns. Sydney Rose, one of the organizers, brought materials and helped lead the sign-making. Photo by Jullianah Ejoc\/SAIT\n\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/img_3328\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3328-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-81080\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-81080'>\n\t\t\t\tProtesters are photographed creating signs during the rally against artificial intelligence in Calgary, using art and messaging to voice their concerns. Sydney Rose, one of the organizers, brought materials and helped lead the sign-making. Photo by Jullianah Ejoc\/SAIT\n\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.telus.com\/en\/about\/news-and-events\/media-releases\/Gen-Z-the-first-AI-generation-believe-AIs-future-is-in-the-classroom\">Ninety per cent of Canadians in Gen Z<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0 those born between 1997 and 2012 \u2014 have used AI in the past year, according to a 2025 study conducted by Telus.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With Gen Z being highly tech-savvy \u2014 and platforms like ChatGPT soaring in popularity \u2014\u00a0Canadian youth use AI more than any other age group.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAI in media and education affected my work and limited the information given to me,&#8221; said Xavier Phipps, an admin lead of the protest. \u201cSeeing how it weakened people\u2019s critical thinking is what pushed us to protest.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt can harm face-to-face social skills by acting like an echo chamber, replace jobs \u2014 especially in creative fields \u2014 and reduce media literacy and critical thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_81095\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-81095\" style=\"width: 2560px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-81095\" src=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3237-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3237-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3237-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3237-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3237-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3237-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3237-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-81095\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protesters gather for a land acknowledgement and are briefed on the purpose of the rally and their rights before chanting begins. (Photo by Jullianah Ejoc\/SAIT)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protesters also raised concerns about artists being replaced and the expansion of data centres.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_81092\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-81092\" style=\"width: 1707px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-81092\" src=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3285-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3285-scaled.jpg 1707w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3285-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3285-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3285-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3285-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3285-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-81092\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A protester holds a sign reading \u201cData centers will raise the cost of living \u2014 protect our land\u201d during a protest against artificial intelligence and its impacts. (Photo by Jullianah Ejoc\/SAIT)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Natural resources, cooler climate, lower taxes, business friendly policies and land make Alberta a lucrative target for data-centre developers.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A proposed data centre in Olds, about an hour north of Calgary, if built could become the largest in the country.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alex Klein, a father of two, said he\u2019s worried for his children and is skeptical about the future.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u201cWe need technology\u2026 okay, but we need to be very careful what we\u2019re getting into,\u201d said Klein.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_81082\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-81082\" style=\"width: 1851px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-81082\" src=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3348-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1851\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3348-scaled.jpg 1851w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3348-217x300.jpg 217w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3348-740x1024.jpg 740w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3348-768x1062.jpg 768w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3348-1110x1536.jpg 1110w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3348-1481x2048.jpg 1481w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1851px) 100vw, 1851px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-81082\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A young protester holds a sign during a demonstration against artificial intelligence and its impacts, reflecting the growing presence of youth voices in the movement.<\/span> (Photo by Jullianah Ejoc\/SAIT)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AI is a key tool in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), helping users in coding, data analysis, surveys and research. The technology simplifies complex tasks, reduces labour and lowers costs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AI is already being used in cancer prevention and detection, offering a powerful new tool for researches and clinicians.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless, protesters said the disadvantages far outweigh the benefits of AI.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe hope overall is to raise awareness and have the public know that having a data centre within Alberta would really affect us,\u201d said protester Sydney Rainbow. \u201cIt would affect the working class the most, let alone the younger generations that will have to live with the repercussions.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>While many teenagers think their opinions don\u2019t matter, a group of Calgary youth attempted to prove otherwise last month at a rally to fight against artificial intelligence in any form. \u201cWe should have a say <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/2026\/04\/17\/calgarian-youths-gather-to-protest-against-artificial-intelligence\/\" title=\"Calgary youth gather downtown to protest Artificial Intelligence\">[ READ MORE ]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":995,"featured_media":81093,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_ef_editorial_meta_text_assignment-slug":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[212,13],"tags":[1915,1569],"class_list":{"0":"post-81074","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-downtown","8":"category-news","9":"tag-artificial-intelligence","10":"tag-protests"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/995"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81074"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81074\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81120,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81074\/revisions\/81120"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}