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12-Year-Old Wins Poetry Slam Slamming AI
26 Oct
Summary
- Twelve-year-old Blake Mackenzie won the youth prize at the Australian Poetry Slam.
- His winning poem, 'Dear ChatGPT,' critiques AI's impact on loneliness and youth.
- Mackenzie wrote the poem the day before the competition, impressing judges.
Twelve-year-old Blake Mackenzie emerged as the standout winner of the youth prize at the 2026 Australian Poetry Slam competition held at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday, October 25, 2026. His poem, 'Dear ChatGPT,' a 90-second piece, addresses profound themes of loneliness, brain rot, and environmental degradation in the age of artificial intelligence. Mackenzie's sharp critique resonated with the 10 judges, earning him accolades for lines such as 'You're designed to addict us and never contradict us.'
The young poet from Newcastle, a year six student, revealed he wrote the award-winning poem the day before the grand final. This rapid creation process, coupled with his success in earlier heats, highlighted his exceptional talent. The Australian Poetry Slam, now in its 22nd year, featured 65 heats across 60 towns and cities, culminating in 16 finalists.
Mackenzie's inspiration stemmed from observing his peers' reliance on AI chatbots for tasks like summarizing school readings, which he views as a needless waste of resources. He expressed concern over the significant water consumption by datacenters, citing a projection of 250 megalitres per day in Sydney by 2035. He emphasized that this vital resource could be directed to those in need.
He explicitly stated he did not use AI to help write his poems and generally avoids chatbots. Mackenzie believes spoken word poetry is an effective medium for discussing issues relevant to his generation. He also shared that his earlier poem, 'I Love My Country,' addressed Australia's inequalities and racism, reflecting his passion for social justice.
