MHS junior wins New York Times contest with short film on AI, creativity
For Max Kane, a junior at Marblehead High School, a weekend spent hanging out with friends around Boston turned into something much bigger: a prize-winning short film for The New York Times.
Kane recently won the Times’ student contest “Growing Up With AI,” a national challenge that invited teenagers to reflect on what it means to come of age in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.
His entry — a roughly two-minute film shot on his iPhone — combines scenes of friends spending time together with narration about creativity, technology and what makes human expression unique.
“I think the best way to speak to people is through film,” Kane said. “It’s engaging visually, with audio and a narrative. My main goal for anything I create is to make people feel something.”
Class assignment becomes national winner
Kane first encountered the Times’ student competitions as a freshman in a class taught by Marblehead teacher Jenn Billings, who encourages students to participate each year.
The contest theme changes annually. In previous years, prompts asked students to reflect on experiences such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the political climate. This year’s challenge focused on artificial intelligence and its impact on young people.
Students could respond using any medium — including art, music, writing or video — and submitting an entry was optional, though it counted for extra credit.
Kane decided to create a short film.
“I liked the message, and I was proud of it,” he said. “I thought there was a chance, but I definitely wasn’t expecting to win.”
A film made on a phone
Much of the footage came from a single weekend in Boston last fall when Kane and friends were exploring the city.
“I figured I’d film it,” he said. “Some of it I was directing — like, ‘Do this, do that’ — but most of it was just us hanging out.”
Kane shot the video on his phone and later edited it on his computer using CapCut, a free editing program popular with young creators. He learned many of his skills through classes with Marblehead teacher Henry Christensen as well as through YouTube tutorials and personal experimentation.
Creativity in the age of AI
In the film, Kane reflects on the rise of artificial intelligence and argues that human creativity remains irreplaceable.
“The main problem with AI is that it’s unoriginal — it’s an algorithm,” he said. “Every piece of art made by a person comes from what they’ve experienced and what they believe.”
For Kane, the imperfections in human-made work are part of what makes it meaningful.
“I wanted people to watch the video and recognize that creativity in themselves,” he said. “Using AI for the creative process isn’t truly creative. The imperfections are what make projects special.”
Despite the rapid rise of AI tools, Kane said he isn’t worried about technology replacing human artists or filmmakers.
“I have faith that people want to see things that come from a person rather than a computer,” he said.
A teacher’s encouragement
Billings has been encouraging students to submit entries to the New York Times student contests since 2019 and has had students place (as a winner, runner up or honorable mention) every year except 2023.
“What I loved about Max’s film is that he didn’t use AI, and his voiceover explains why,” Billings said. “He’s pushing against it. I loved how I could feel his sense of loss and his insistence on holding tight to all that he can. What I treasured was that, at 17, Max is an old soul, and he knows that AI is bittersweet. That’s exceptional in my mind.”
A growing interest in filmmaking
Kane has developed an interest in filmmaking through classes at Marblehead High and through his own projects.
He’s also involved in school theater and recently participated in DramaFest, an experience he described as “awesome,” crediting a collaborative creative process with fellow students.
Looking ahead, Kane hopes to continue exploring video storytelling. He’s currently working on a film script that he’ll shoot with students this summer. He did the same last summer for a movie called “Gilded Lily.”
His recent win has already reinforced something he believes strongly: Even in the age of artificial intelligence, creativity remains deeply human.
“Everything we create comes from who we are,” Kane said. “That’s something an algorithm can’t replace.”
Other wins
Three other MHS students placed in the Times contest. They are:
— Freshman Giogui Bottari, runner-up.
— Freshman Avery Sheridan, runner-up.
— Eleanor Morgan, honorable mention.
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