CREDITS: - @_MayflowerWrites_ and @DaintreetheRainwing - poodle700 (me) - ST for info on the 4.0 situation v v v ========================================= Alright, here we go: I was this-past-Tuesday-years-old when I found DaintreetheRainwing's project (so going on three days ago). It took some searching, but I went to the "About Scratch Wiki," and suspicions confirmed: there is a 4.0 update underway with, I quote, "no concrete plans," but is planning on integrating the "Creative AI." I even found the direct quote Daintree referenced (full credit to the ST member who posted it): "[The next generation of Scratch is] called Scratch 4.0, and it features something we call Creative AI — a set of tools designed to help every kid create. Not by doing the work for them, but by meeting them where they are: through conversation and inspiration. Imagine a child who has an idea for a game but doesn't know where to start. In Scratch 4.0, they'll have a creative assistant that listens, asks questions, and helps them build it step by step, while their agency and imagination lead the way." Now guys, just hear me out for five seconds: AI is definitely better used as a TOOL, not a REPLACEMENT. That's what man originally purposed it for, right? It sounds like that's what ST is aiming for. Well, I'm looking around, and suddenly, it's EVERYWHERE. I MEAN EVERYWHERE. We've gone completely off the rails- to give you a picture, every time I go to look up something nowadays, there is AT LEAST one AI-generated image that pops up in the search results. I miss when that didn't exist. I can see where ST is going with this, but I don't think it's gonna end well. It sounds like this "creative AI" means we are now going to have a CHATBOT feature in Scratch if ST goes through with this. Guys, I've been here since Bing Chat. I've watched these things evolve, seen their speech patterns and dialect improve and become more and more humanlike. (I'm just not gonna dare mention the chatbot breed of awful interactive AI like TALKIE that got put out there... yeah, that one's BAD. Frankest apologies, I digress.) Bing Chat is now Copilot, and I know because we own one that the new Windows laptops now have a BUTTON for Copilot built into the keyboard. I've been using this particular chatbot ever since it came out. At first, I admit, it was fun testing it a bit to see what it can do, and, as a writer, since have been using it for feedback on ideas and some help with inspiration. I've also used it for some dialogue and draft ideas- which I DEFINITELY got carried away with a bit (..uhh, let's just say we're not gonna talk about that). Now? I've only touched Copilot again once since 2025. An incident happened that made me stop, but come 2026, I came to the painful realization that I have about 28 chats on Copilot to go through... and it needs to be done if I'm ever going to save my creations from being totally marred by what I've done with the AI by this point. So, what I'm trying to say is this: I became too reliant on AI, and now I have to pay the price. I've been watching the rest of society do the same, and wonder when this madness is gonna end. It's only getting worse: fake AI newsposts, videos, and there are other AI art apps besides Arta and Creart out there (oh yeah, I've USED them... even long after typing a prompt with the result being SOLID PROOF they ACTUALLY DO COPY... needless to say, I'm ashamed beyond belief). And now CHATBOTS? In SCRATCH? Needless to say, the use of AI algorithms, let alone chatbots now is absolutely RAMPANT. How can they possibly say it's merely going to be an "assistant" that doesn't do all the work for you while we just came out with AI CODING APPS that LITERALLY make games for you? (I wish I were kidding... I really do.) What are we DOING? Again, I became too reliant on a chatbot. I think I speak for the entire Scratch community when I say, honestly, at some point or another, I don't think that we're gonna have enough self-control to not rely on this "creative AI" for possibly everything if it gets released with the update, already using AI chat or not. And from personal chatbot experience, not that I'm saying it could end up being like these other algorithms out there, but I don't trust that the AI is gonna stay purposed solely for practical guidance and constructive criticism. (Primarily along these lines:) I almost forgot to mention I have the Usborne beginner's guidebook for Scratch when I first got introduced to it. Yes, they have a beginner's guidebook for Scratch, and there are MULTIPLE other books on coding and other stuff specifically for Scratch. And aren't there TUTORIALS on this website, not to mention several other resources provided we can use instead?
I promise, I'm not trying to say any of this to scare anyone- I'm just hoping and praying we'll be aware of the consequences. We'll see what happens when 4.0 is released. In the meantime, ST, please... Don't do this. Like, I am BEGGING you. For a website branded as a "children's coding website," with all these other algorithms out there, not to mention all the AI content on Scratch already (may I say including Italian Brainrot?) adding this "creative AI" is something we're absolutely not gonna be ready for. I mean if THIS is going to be "the future of Scratch," I'm... pretty concerned. I and many others can agree this website has been something we've greatly enjoyed and endeared, and in the end, this AI feature may most likely definitely be something Scratch was never meant to have. Sincerely, @poodle700 (PS, I know I said having a chatbot on here would honestly be bad enough. Sounds like it's NOT going in this direction (thank the Lord), but if the AI feature comes out with Scratch 4.0, and someone later makes AI CODEBOTS a future possibility... ST, THANKS FOR IXNAYING THAT. BECAUSE GRACIOUS, THAT WOULD UNDERMINE THIS ENTIRE WEBSITE. Just saying.)
