Twelve-year-old wins Australian slam competition prize with poem about ChatGPT: ‘It’s totally unnecessary’

Written the day before Sunday’s grand final, Blake Mackenzie’s poem covers brain rot, loneliness and environmental degradation in the age of AI Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email Loneliness, brain rot and early exposure to porn. Twelve-year-old Blake Mackenzie has summed up many of the horrors of growing up in the age of AI in a 90-second poem called Dear ChatGPT, making him the standout winner of this year’s youth prize at the 2026 Australian Poetry Slam competition. The year six student from Newcastle won over the 10 judges at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday night with smart and succinct lines, such as “You’re designed to addict us and never contradict us” and “Your friendship is endless so why do I feel friendless?”. Continue reading...